The epicenter of the Mw 6.5 earthquake was in the Kopet Dag mountains of North Khorasan, near the Iran–Turkmenistan border, about 579 km (360 mi) northeast of Tehran.

[4] Present-day seismic activity indicate tectonic deformation is being accommodated along the Zagros, Alborz and Kopet Dag mountains.

Deformation is also accommodated in eastern and central Iran, as well as in the Dasht-e Lut, in the form of tectonic blocks.

The Arabian shield moves northwards at approximately 23 mm (0.91 in) per year, where the Zagros fold and thrust belt accommodates roughly half of it.

In eastern Iran (south of the Kopet Dag), north–south trending right-lateral strike-slip faults in a 400 km (250 mi)-wide shear zone accommodate the motion.

[5] The northern Kopet Dag range front marks a linear boundary with the Turan platform (part of the Eurasian plate).

[5] The Kopet Dag mountains consist of Mesozoic to Tertiary sedimentary rocks, and represent the closure of the Tethys Ocean,[4] which closed when northeastern Iran was sutured to the tectonically stable Turan platform.

[4] Northeastern Iran is rich in historical records of earthquakes due to its geographical importance in trade between Europe and Asia.

[5] The Ashkabad Fault, a right-lateral strike-slip structure, runs linear to the northern Kopet Dag front range.

Seismicity is restricted to the shallow continental crust no deeper than 30 km (19 mi),[7] and displays thrust and strike-slip focal mechanisms.

[7] Using teleseismic instruments, the epicenter was calculated to be slightly west of where the fault and area of destruction was located.

[8] Based on the extent of damage, a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) was assigned to affected places within a 10 km (6.2 mi) radius around the epicenter.

One village in the meizoseismal area experienced the complete loss of all adobe-constructed homes; only two reinforced concrete buildings survived but with substantial damage.

[10] Residents were alerted to the possibility of a larger earthquake due to the occurrence of a Mw  5.4 foreshock at 13:23 IRST that same day.

A petrochemical plant located 15 km (9.3 mi) from the epicenter had minor damage, causing a cessation of operations for several days.