Today in Earthquake History

Today's Earthquake Fact:
The term seismic seiche was first coined by Anders Kvale in 1955, to describe oscillation of lake levels in Norway and England caused by the Assam earthquake of August, 1950.

Year at a Glance

December

Note: All earthquake dates are UTC, not local time.

«« December 27

December 29 »»

Year	Location	Magnitude	Comment

1908	Messina, Italy	7.2	100th Anniversary 72,000 deaths. One of the world's most destructive earthquakes. Over 40% of the population of Messina and more than 25% of Reggio di Calabria killed by the earthquake and tsunami, as well as by fires in some parts of Messina. Casualty toll is based on census data 1901-1911, some estimates are as high as 110,000. Severe damage in large parts of Calabria and Sicily. Felt throughout Sicily and north to Naples and Campobasso. Also felt on Malta, in Montenegro and Albania and on the Ionian Islands. Tsunami heights of 6-12 m (20-39 ft) observed on the coast of Sicily south of Messina and heights of 6-10 m (20-33 ft) observed along the coast of Calabria. Aftershocks continued into 1913. PBS: Rescue at Sea: People & Events: Messina Earthquake. Image courtesy of National Information Service for Earthquake Engineering, University of California, Berkeley.

1973	Vanuatu	7.8	This earthquake struck the New Hebrides Islands about 2,000 kilometers northeast of Brisbane, Australia. The earthquake cracked concrete walls and floors and toppled water tanks on Espiritu Santo. The shock was felt on Vanua Lava and Luganville. From Significant Earthquakes of the World 1973, and Earthquake Information Bulletin, Volume 6, Number 1.

1974	Pakistan	6.2	The most destructive earthquake of 1974. 5,300 reported killed, 17,000 injured and a total of 97,000 people reported affected. The village of Pattan and nearby hamlets were completely destroyed. Also an undetermined amount of damage occurred in other areas of the Indus Valley region. Felt (V) in the Kabul, Afghanistan area. From Earthquake Information Bulletin, Volume 7, Number 1.

1994	Off East Coast of Honshu, Japan	7.8	Two people were killed, more than 200 injured and damage (VI JMA) in the Hachinohe area. Felt (V JMA) at Aomori, Morioka and Mutsu; (IV JMA) at Miyako and Ofunato; (III JMA) at Sendai. Also felt (IV JMA) at Hakodate, Obihiro, Tomakomai and Urakawa; (III JMA) at Sapporo, Hokkaido. Felt as far away as Tokyo. Local tsunami generated with maximum wave heights (peak-to-trough) recorded at the following selected tide stations: 110 cm. at Miyako, 88 cm. at Hachinohe, 54 cm. at Ofunato, 10 cm. at Choshi, Honshu; 48 cm. at Urakawa, 36 cm. at Hakodate and Kushiro, Hokkaido. From Significant Earthquakes of the World 1994

Show events that occurred on: