Surface rupture and mechanism of the Bob-Tangol (southeastern Iran) earthquake of 19 December 1977

The Bob-Tangol earthquake of magnitude 5.8 (M_S), occurred in southeastern Iran on 19 December 1977, not far from the region where the 1896 and 1933 earthquakes caused considerable damage and destruction. The shock was associated with a 19.5-km fault break at the surface with a maximum 20 cm right-lateral strike-slip movement along an Early Quaternary geological fault. Results of the field investigation together with the fault plane solution and epicentre location of the main shock are presented here in order to give a seismotectonic view of the event.Surface rupture and fault plane solution of this medium-magnitude earthquake demonstrate a considerable amount of right-lateral movement along a major Early Quaternary high-angle reverse fault. This change in fault behaviour and slip vector may indicate that evidence of Early Quaternary movement cannot always provide a good clue to present-day crustal deformation.