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

August

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

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Year	Location	Magnitude	Comment

1931	Near Valentine, Texas	5.8	The largest historical earthquake in Texas. The most severe damage was reported at Valentine, where all buildings except wood-frame houses were damaged severely and all brick chimneys toppled or were damaged. The schoolhouse, which consisted of one section of concrete blocks and another section of bricks, was damaged so badly that it had to be rebuilt. Small cracks formed in the schoolhouse yard.

1976	Mindanao, Philippines	7.9	One of the world's deadliest earthquakes. The earthquake occurred near the west coast of Mindanao, about 950 kilometers south of Manila. A tsunami was generated in the Moro Gulf causing considerable damage and loss of life. It is estimated that the earthquake and tsunami killed 5,000 to 8,0000 people, injured many, and left a number homeless. The main shock was followed by a major aftershock 12 hours later, which caused additional damage. Many aftershocks followed in the magnitude 6.0 and lower range. From Significant Earthquakes of the World 1976, and Earthquake Information Bulletin, Volume 9, Number 1. Damage Photos from the USGS Photographic Library

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