An earthquake measuring 4.9 degrees on the Richter scale jolted Minudasht city in Golestan Province, early Wednesday. According to the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University, the tremor occurred at 00:26 am local time and was registered at a depth of 11 km, IRNA reported. The province was also jolted by four minor aftershocks following the quake. There were no reports of possible damages or casualties. Iran sits astride several major seismic faults, and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating. The worst in recent times hit Bam in Kerman Province in December 2003, killing 26,000 people - about a quarter of its population.
