International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET)

Volume 9, Issue 2, February 2018, pp. 13–19, Article ID: IJCIET_09_02_002

Available online at http://http://www.iaeme.com/ijciet/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=9&IType=2
ISSN Print: 0976-6308 and ISSN Online: 0976-6316

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SEISMIC ACTIVITY IN IRAQ (ZAGROS

EARTHQUAKE) A REVIEW STUDY
Nadim Haify, Baydaa Hussain Maula, Karima Flaih Hasan
Institute of Technology / Middle Technical University, Iraq-Baghdad

ABSTRACT
Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes and landslides are among the most important
phenomena affecting human life. They occur suddenly without warning. Some of them
are light, while others are destructive threaten the lives of people. Recently there has
been increasing activity in the zealous strip in the Iran-Zagros earthquake line, in
which Iraq is located. A magnitude 7.3 earthquake has occurred in the northern
border region of Iran-Iraq centered about 350 kilometers north of Baghdad at a depth
of 33.9 km in last Nov (http://www.iris.edu/hq/retm). In general the prediction of
earthquakes takes three alliances. In the first one, can predict the location of the
earthquake over-all, as expect it in a large area such as the northern or north-eastern
border in 10 to 20 years. In the second one it is not predictable not only in Iraq but
also in the developed world, because it depends on the nature of the underground
breakage and the amount of energy emitted, the third alliance is time and this is also
not available. Therefore developed countries use seismic engineering, Seismic
insurance in order to reduce the losses. This paper comes to shed light on what is
happening in Iraq from natural disasters not seen before. To determine the causes of
occurrence and recurrence in the near and long term.
Key words: Earthquake line; Northern border region; Middle East tectonics; Zagros
Cite this Article: Nadim Haify, Baydaa Hussain Maula, Karima Flaih Hasan, Seismic
Activity in Iraq (Zagros earthquake) A Review Study. International Journal of Civil
Engineering and Technology, 9(2), 2018, pp. 13-19.
http://www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=9&IType=2

1. INTRODUCTION
Definitely, every year, earthquakes occur, many of which are not felt by humans because it
occurs in uninhabited areas or due to its magnitude less than 4 Richter. Many reasons for
earthquakes happen, some of them belongs to man-made causes and other due to natural
causes. The man-made causes are to cause gaps in the earth as a result of the extraction of oil
from them, and increase the heat of the earth due to exhaust [1].
The natural causes of the earthquakes, both internal and external, and the cause of the
internal earthquakes in the presence of cracks ground and faults, and the accumulation of
thermal and motor energy stored in the crust. The cause of the external earthquakes is the
following: the position of the Earth in relation to the sun and the moon, the speed of the Earth,

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 Nadim Haify, Baydaa Hussain Maula, Karima Flaih Hasan

where the maximum speed in January, and the speed of the month of July, and second: the
status of the Earth for the rest of the planets of the solar system (planetary couplings with the
ground, "The movement of the planets of the solar system and the earth around the sun makes
the center of gravity of this group always in a state of constant change, which affects the
power of attracting planets and the moon on the ground as the Earth is always vulnerable to
the power of gravity of the solar system . In the case of permanent change. And is greater than
in the case of conjugates [1].
Third, the occurrence of the Venus and Jupiter planetary coupling on November 5, 2004,
and Venus crossing the sun disk on June 8, 2004, where the effect of Venus on the planet was
greatest, as well as a total solar eclipse on October 14, 2004, and the occurrence of a lunar
eclipse on 28 October 2004.
Fourth, for the planet Earth began to increase the speed of movement around the sun so as
not to fall because of the approach of about 5 million km, which is why the return of the
internal mass of the earth, according to inertia it. Less distance (Earth) from the sun the first
and second week of January. Fifth, In these areas hit by the earthquake and tsunami, the
internal energy stored and accumulated in the layers of the earth as large as possible, and in
weak areas allow vibration and release of this large energy, the movement of the Earth and the
confrontation and conjunction with the planets, and the occurrence of the lunar tide of the
crust, water and gas, In the middle and early lunar months "[2].

2. GLOBAL GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF EARTHQUAKES

1. Ring of fire, which passes through the coasts of the Pacific Ocean East and West, and this
region of the world’s most vulnerable to earthquakes and disasters, and the most important
areas of vulnerability of the crust.
2. The second global zone extends from the West Indies, which are very dangerous areas,
where there are Andean ranges, including the Martinic Islands, San Diego, Jamaica, Puerto
Rico, Haiti and the Antilles in the Caribbean Sea [3] as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Geographical distribution of earthquakes (source [3])

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 Seismic Activity in Iraq (Zagros earthquake) A Review Study

3. EARTHQUAKES IN IRAQ HISTORY

Since the birth of Christ, there have been 179 violent tremors, of which 15 are very violent.
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, there were 2804 tremors, 100 of which were very
violent. In the 19th century, 3204 tremors were reported. An Italian city was swallowed by the
earth and turned into a lake in 1480 BC. In the year 551 AD, earthquakes hit the shores of
Syria and Lebanon, and were the most severe in the city of Beirut. In 1139, earthquakes
devastated the city of Aleppo, which spread to Iran and killed at least 100,000 people.
Iraq has an all-around reported history of seismic hits,” The historical seismicity follows a
well-defined pattern and fits the boundary of the major tectonic elements of the country” [4].
Structurally “Iraq is situated in a moderately dynamic seismic zone at the northeastern
limits of the Arabian Plate .The relating Zagros Tauros Belts show the subduction of the
Arabian plate into the Iranian and Anatolian Plates” [5] .The seismic history uncovers yearly
seismic movement of various quality. The north and northeastern zones portrays the most
astounding seismic movement with solid decrease in the south and southwestern parts of the
nation [4].
Two seismic belts can affect Iraq; the first one is “seismic belt in the center of the Atlantic
Ocean: stretching from the Maghreb as far north to the southeast of Zageors mountains
between Iraq and Iran and the series extends to the Himalayan belt. While Anatolia Seismic
Belt represents the second one” [6].

4. MIDDLE EAST TECTONICS AND EARTHQUAKES

The facts about the causes of earthquakes were related with the theory of plate tectonics. The
theory advocates that, the surface of the earth consists of several plates or solid sheets up to
100 km in continents, while it’s less than 50 km in the oceans, and these plates together form
lithosphere of the Earth see Figure 2.

Figure 2 Cross-cut lengthwise the earth’s interior (source: [7])

The plates move very slowly above the plastic layer of the earth mantle, and are
accompanied by seismic and volcanic activities along their borders, as well as terrain such as

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 Nadim Haify, Baydaa Hussain Maula, Karima Flaih Hasan

high mountains, cracks, grooves, faults, etc., and it takes millions of years. Relative moves
between these moving plates occur in different images. There are convergent movements as
these plates converge towards each other. Collision The collision (in the case of convergence
between two continental plates due to the equal density of the blades), or the occurrence of the
collision (in the event of convergence) between two plates, one continental and the other less
thicker and more dense ocean) where the ocean plate is inserted under the continental plate,
shallow and medium earthquakes occur.
There are also spacing between platelets and so-called openness occurs at this type of
plate boundary, and earthquakes also result from these movements Tectonic divergence, and
there is a third type of tectonic movements between the plates and the movement of the side
movements between the plates (Transform Faults) and also produces the earthquakes result
from these side moves. Figure 3 “presents the seven major tectonic plates of the world, and
many of the smaller ones. In many cases the boundaries of the plates are not well defined, as,
e.g., between the African and Eurasian plates, where many smaller plates exist” [7].

Figure 3 The major tectonic plates of the world (source [7])

“The boundary between the Arabian and Eurasian Plates is a zone of oblique convergence
with a combination of folds and thrust faults and right-lateral strike slip faults. The Zagros
Mountains are a fold and thrust belt extending across western Iran into northeastern Iraq.
Thrust faulting in the foothills of the northwestern Zagros Mountains caused this earthquake.
In this region, the Arabian Plate moves in a north-northeasterly direction at about 2.5 cm/yr
with respect to the Eurasian Plate “ [8] see Figure 4.

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 Seismic Activity in Iraq (Zagros earthquake) A Review Study

Figure 4 Extending seismic belt across western Iran into northeastern Iraq [8]

The tectonics formative plateau in southeastern Iran is moving towards the Arab plateau,
where the Gulf States are located within this scope to the south of Iran. There are cracks in all
the tectonics formative plates by 2 cm. This convergence increases the daily earthquake
activity in neighboring countries, particularly in Iran and Turkey, which is affected by Iraq.
“Middle East tectonics and earthquakes result from the interaction of the Eurasia, Arabia,
India, and Africa Plates. This regional tectonics map shows plate motions with respect to the
Eurasian Plate. The location of the earthquake is shown by the red star” [8].

Earthquake

Figure 5 The regional tectonics map

Figure 6 shows” the locations of the most recent 924 earthquakes with magnitude (M) > 5
in the area surrounding the Arabia – Eurasian Plate boundary” [8].
Iraq's seismological observation announced the massive M7.3 earthquake is within the
broad zone of earthquakes along the Zagros Mountains and Bitlis Suture that form the plate
boundary that hit various parts of Iraq.

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 Nadim Haify, Baydaa Hussain Maula, Karima Flaih Hasan

Baghdad (Reuters) declare that over - One hundred people were killed and injured as a
result of the earthquake, while some 200 others were injured by drowning, There was some
stones sliding in the mountain next to the source of the Derbandikhan Dam, and some of the
stones and debris fell in the water wave of the dam and some of the houses next to it collapsed
“Notice that earthquake depths are dominantly less than 70 km indicating that most of
these events are on crustal faults” [8].

M7.3
Zagros earthquake

Figure 6 Zagros earthquake along broad zone “Map created with the IRIS Earthquake Browser”

According to Figure 7 the seismic activity for Iraq can be consider as very weak 3.5 to
relatively strong (4.8) on Richter measures where the doors are violently shaken and the glass
breaks.

Figure 7 A statistical for severity of earthquakes that hit Iraq during the month of November 2017

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 Seismic Activity in Iraq (Zagros earthquake) A Review Study

5. CONCLUSIONS
1-It is impossible to predict the occurrence of the earthquake. The fracture moment depends
on the elasticity of the rock. In order to determine it, we must know the strength of the
pressure and the elasticity of the rock and its moisture. The liquids increase the elasticity and
most importantly we must know that this place will cause an earthquake to try measurements.
The Iraq earthquake occurs as a result of a break in the earth's crust and is produced as
mentioned earlier by the exposure of this crust to the pressure resulting from overlapping or
adjacent platelets or a moving crack in the crust.
2-The magnitude and effect of earthquakes varies, and with some indications of their
proximity, it is still difficult to predict; the only possible current situation is the strengthening
of buildings along seismic lines, the training of high-efficiency rescue teams and international
cooperation in situations Major disasters.
3-That the earthquakes have some benefits, they form the surface of the earth and raise the
mountains and the extraction of precious metals from the ground
4- Multiple measures to reduce the risk of earthquakes; such as such Planning based on a
geological study before permitting construction with strengthening of weak buildings in areas
of seismic activity.
5- Removal of hazardous installations from potentially earthquake-prone areas.
6- Issuing laws and legislation necessary to support environmental and civil planning after the
earthquake

REFERENCES
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[2] Journal of Science No. 341 - February 2005 p42
[3] http://al3loom.com/?p=796
[4] Alsinawi, S. A., & Al Qasrani, Z. O. (2003, May). Earthquake hazards consideration for
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