FAULT RUPTURE MODEL OF THE NOVEMBER 12, 2017 NORTHERN IRAQ WESTERN IRAN EARTHQUAKE (MW=7.3) IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EARTHQUAKE HAZARD

The November 12, 2017 Northern Iraq/Western Iran earthquake occurred along the northwestern part the Zagros Thrust Zone and caused hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries and building damages and collapses, especially in Kermanshah province of Iran. Finite-fault inversion of the teleseismic broadband waveforms of the earthquake has indicated that the rupture covers a fault area of 50 km by 15 km and confined to depths below 20 km with slip as high as 9 m at hypocentral area. The rupture was mainly toward south (or toward Iran) providing plausible explanation for damage distribution. The earthquake released a seismic moment of 1.05 x 1020 Nt m (MW?7.3). It is suggested that the earthquake was due to displacement along the decollement between the sedimentary cover and underlying basement, implying seismic slip along the low angle reverse faults in contrast to the suggested aseismic slip in the southeast section of the thrust zone.