The 1978 Tabas earthquake (Persian: زمین‌لرزه ۱۳۵۷ طبس) occurred on September 16 at 19:05:55 local time in central Iran.

The day before, a 5.5 magnitude quake had struck southwestern Iran in the morning and killed at least 42 people in and around the towns of Masjid-e Solaiman and Izeh.

[6] Eighty percent of the human deaths occurred in Tabas, but a total of 85 villages were also affected.

[7] Sixty villages were badly damaged, including Ferdows, where 80 percent of the city was destroyed.

Reportedly, two-thirds of Iran, including the capital city of Tehran, felt the earthquake.