Tehran, Jan 11 (AP) A series of eight earthquakes hit theIran-Iraq border area and rattled Baghdad today, apparentlythe aftershocks of a temblor that struck the mountainousregion in November and killed over 530 people.
Four people suffered minor injuries in Iran, statetelevision reported.
The US Geological Survey said seven of the quakes strucknear the Iraqi city of Mandali, 120 kilometers northeast ofthe Iraqi capital. Mandali is right on the border between thetwo nations.
The eighth hit near Mehran in western Iran, about 90kilometers southeast of Mandali along the sparsely populatedZagros Mountains that divide Iran and Iraq.
All the earthquakes struck within an hour of each other,beginning at 0659 GMT. Six had a preliminary magnitude of atleast 5, while two registered at magnitude 4. Scientistsconsider earthquakes of magnitude 5 as moderate.
Iranian authorities offered similar figures for theearthquakes on state television. All the information couldchange as scientists examine the data.
Iranian state television said online that people rushedinto the streets as the temblors hit. In Baghdad, people felta quake shake the Iraqi capital, followed by what felt likeaftershocks.
All the earthquakes struck at a depth of 10 kilometers ,according to the USGS. Earthquakes at magnitude 5 can causeconsiderable damage. The temblors also all were very shallow,which causes more ground shaking and potential damage,particularly in places without strict building codes.
In November, a major 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck thesame region, killing over 530 people and injuring thousands inIran alone. In Iraq, nine people were killed and 550 wereinjured, all in the country's northern Kurdish region,according to the United Nations.
Randy Baldwin, a geophysicist with the USGS' NationalEarthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado, said theearthquakes all appeared to be aftershocks from the Novembertemblor.
That area is home to many shallow faults, he said.
"It's ongoing activity there," Baldwin told The AssociatedPress. "If there was a stressed fault that's ready to move,they happen like that until the stresses are relieved, so it'snot too unusual."(AP)AMS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.