The Ardabil earthquake happened on Feb. 28 1997, and with a death toll of over 150,000 , it was quite a serious one as well. Hospitals over-flowed with patients, buildings crumbled to the floor (except for earthquake-resistant ones. See 'Earthquakes' on the far right of the menu). With over 350 after-shocks, this earthquakes didn't finish after the initial 15-second rumble. It went on for a matter of days until they finally stopped, the worst one being 5.2 on the Richter Scale.