Tabriz lies within the complex zone of
collision between the
Arabian plate and the
Eurasian plate. The main structures accommodating this oblique collision are west–east trending
thrust faults and WNW-ESE trending dextral (right lateral)
strike-slip faults. The
North Tabriz Fault is an active 150 km long dextral strike-slip fault that passes close to the northern edge of Tabriz city. It has two main segments and an estimated overall slip rate of about 7 mm per year. The southeastern segment is interpreted to have ruptured in the
1721 Tabriz earthquake, while the northwestern segment ruptured during the 1780 earthquake. Both events produced associated
ground rupture, which is still observable. An average slip of about 4 m has been estimated for earthquakes along the northwestern segment. A recurrence interval of about 800 years has been estimated, suggesting that a major earthquake along this structure is unlikely in the next few centuries, although a recurrence interval of 250–300 years has also been proposed, indicating that there is potential for a major earthquake in the relatively near future. ==Earthquake==