the 1962 buin zahra earthquake occurred on september 1 in the area of buin zahra, qazvin province, iran. the shock had a richter magnitude of 7.1 and resulted in 12,225 fatalities. qazvin province lies in an area of iran that experiences large earthquakes. the 1962 event originated on one of many faults in the area, called the ipak fault. believed to have been reactivated multiple times, the fault is extensive and could still pose a threat to locals. iran's building codes, renowned for performing poorly during earthquakes, were recently evaluated by multiple world organizations. most hope that the iranian government will implement a better quality of design, highlighting that iran is among the most seismically active countries in the world.