It was part of a sequence of strong earthquakes along the 400 km (250 mi) Kuh Banan Fault.

[2] Casualties from the earthquake was considered moderate due to the sparsely populated area it affected.

Preceded by foreshocks the month before, many residents became wary of a larger earthquake and took refuge outside their homes, contributing to the moderate death toll.

The Iranian plateau is a broad zone of deformed continental crust as it is wedged between the Arabian and Eurasian plates.

Deformation of the crust is distributed non-uniformly by the fold and thrust belts of the Zagros, Alborz, and Kopet Dag; oceanic lithosphere subduction along the Makran Trench; and strike-slip and reverse faulting within the plateau.

It caused the uplift of late Precambrian and Lower Paleozoic rocks over younger Quaternary alluvium.

[4] Seismic activity was first detected along the KBF on September 17 when a strong earthquake shook the region.

Seismicity on the KBF progressed northwest to Behabad, five months later, where a damaging earthquake struck on May 24, 1978.

A focal mechanism analysis displayed a minor thrust component, but was not observed during field research.

A Modified Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong) was assessed at Dartangal, Gisk and Sarbagh, a 15 km (9.3 mi) zone along the rupture where damage was the greatest.

It was evaluated that ground motion was extreme but of short duration—had it lasted longer, these weakened buildings would have been destroyed.

[2] The death toll was considered "moderate" as the mainshock only affected a sparsely populated area.

There were no precursor seismic activity immediately before the mainshock, which would have alerted residents to flee their homes.

The thick masonry walls of homes experienced lateral spreading, allowing roofs to collapse.

[7] A spokesman for the Red Lion and Sun Society, a relief organization, said there were many casualties in the villages of Bab-Tanqal, Ghisak and Sarabagh, where the total population was 5,000.

Wet weather forecasted in the days after the disaster was anticipated to make rescue attempts challenging.

[8] Early reports of the death toll varied; the Red Lion and Sun Society said 80 bodies were recovered while government officials said that 343 were killed, citing rescuers.