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

1884	New York City, New York	5.5	This earthquake caused large cracks in walls at Amityville and Jamaica (intensity VII). The shock was felt strongly at New York City. In addition, 30 towns from Hartford, Connecticut, to West Chester, Pennsylvania, reported fallen bricks and cracked plaster. The total felt area was estimated at 181,000 square kilometers Abridged from Seismicity of the United States, 1568-1989 (Revised), by Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1993.

1931	Near Fuyun (Koktokay), Xinjiang (Sinkiang), China	8.0	Severe damage, ground fissures, landslides, sandblows and subsidence in the Fuyun-Qinghe area. Some mines caved in at Altay. Slight damage occurred at Urumqi.

1947	Southern Michigan	4.6	The largest historical earthquake in Michigan. Damage was heaviest in the area southeast of Kalamazoo at Athens, Bronson, Coldwater, Colon, Matteson Lake, Sherwood, and Union City. Chimneys were damaged, windows and plaster were broken, and brick cornices were downed. Also felt in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada.

1988	Solomon Islands	7.4	20th Anniversary Two events about 10 seconds apart. One person killed and about 100 homes washed away in 13 villages along the southwestern coast of San Cristobal where a tsunami flooded 50-100 meters inland. Felt widely on Guadalcanal, San Cristobal, Malaita and neighboring islands. Seventeen cm tsunami (peak to trough) recorded at Honiara, Guadalcanal. From Significant Earthquakes of the World, 1988.

1993	South Island, New Zealand	7.0	This earthquake was centered about 130 kilometers west of Queenstown. Intensity MM VI effects were experienced within 150 kilometers of the epicenter. Power outages were reported in the Te Anau area. The earthquake was felt throughout South Island and on the southern part of North Island, New Zealand. The shock was also felt at Sydney, Australia. From Significant Earthquakes of the World 1993.

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