Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 February 10

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Qeshm Island

The 2005 Qeshm earthquake was a powerful seismic event that occurred on November 27, 2005, on the sparsely populated Qeshm Island (pictured) off Southern Iran. It killed 13 people and devastated 13 villages. It was Iran's second major earthquake of 2005, following that at Zarand in February. The epicenter was about 1,500 kilometers (932 mi) south of Tehran. The earthquake registered 5.8 on the moment magnitude scale. More than 400 minor aftershocks followed the main quake, 36 of which were greater than magnitude 2.5. The earthquake occurred in a remote area during the middle of the day, limiting the number of fatalities. Iranian relief efforts were effective and largely adequate, leading the country to decline offers of support from other nations and UNICEF. Qeshm Island is part of the Simply Folded Belt, the most seismically active part of the Zagros fold and thrust belt. Similar to most earthquakes in the area, the 2005 event resulted from reverse slip faulting. Since Iran lies in such a seismically active area, there is a high risk of destructive earthquakes; 1 in 3,000 deaths are attributable to earthquakes. One geophysicist has cited the lack of strict building codes as a serious concern. (Full article...)

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  • In the news

    February 2013 nor'easter
  • A blizzard (satellite image pictured) disrupts transportation and leaves hundreds of thousands of people without electricity in the Northeastern United States and parts of Canada.
  • At least 51 people are killed when a bus and truck collide near Chibombo, Zambia.
  • Tunisian opposition politician Chokri Belaid is assassinated near Tunis, sparking protests and calls for new elections.
  • An 8.0-magnitude earthquake strikes the Solomon Islands, generating a tsunami that has killed at least 13 people.
  • Dell announces it will become a privately held company in a $24.4 billion leveraged buyout.
  • Ireland admits state collusion in the mistreatment of more than 30,000 women in Magdalene asylums.
  • On this day...

    February 10: Lunar New Year (Chinese calendar, 2013); Feast of Saint Paul's Shipwreck in Malta

  • 1258Hulagu Khan and the Mongols sacked and burned Baghdad, a cultural and commercial centre of the Islamic world at the time, ending the rule of the Abbasid caliphate.
  • 1567 – After an explosion destroyed the house in Kirk o' Field, Edinburgh, where he was staying, the strangled body of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the King consort of Scotland, was found in a nearby orchard.
  • 1930 – The Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang launched the failed Yen Bai mutiny in the hope of ending French colonial rule in Vietnam.
  • 1939Spanish Civil War: The Nationalists concluded their conquest of Catalonia and sealed the border with France.
  • 2008 – The Namdaemun gate in Seoul, the first of South Korea's National Treasures, was severely damaged by arson (damage pictured).

      More anniversaries: February 9 February 10 February 11

      It is now February 10, 2013 (UTC) – Reload this page
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      Canon EOS 5D Mark II

      A Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera, pictured here with an EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens. The Mark II, released in 2008 and discontinued in 2012, was the first DSLR to feature 1080p video recording. It has been used to shoot several television series and films.

      Photograph: Charles Lanteigne; Edit: Jjron

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