Destruction of buildings in the epicentral region near Manjil. The majority of the smaller residential and commercial buildings in the areas of highest impact were of unreinforced masonry bearing wall construction. This included the towns of Rudbar, Manjil, and Lushan where many of the buildings collapsed or were damaged beyond repair. The brittle masonry materials used in these structures perform poorly under conditions of strong seismic loading. The heavy weight of the masonry floors and roofs also contributed significantly to the failure of these buildings.

Image Credit: M. Mehrain. Dames and Moore