The Bam, Iran earthquake of 26 December 2003: field investigation report

The earthquake which struck Iran on the 23rd of December, 2003 destroyed most of Bam city and the nearby villages and according to the latest estimates the official death toll exceeded 26,000 with more than 30,000 injuries and 75,000 left homeless.
The main purpose of this investigation was to visit the earthquake stricken region of Bam to record and comment upon the causes of the various types of damage observed in the buildings and other structures and to determine what lessons can be learnt from this earthquake. This report also provides supplementary data on the seismological and geological background of the region and briefly touches on socio-economical effects of earthquakes.