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

October

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

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Year	Location	Magnitude	Comment

1948	Ashgabat (Ashkhabad), Turkmenistan (Turkmeniya, USSR)	7.3	60th Anniversary 110,000 dead. One of the world's deadliest earthquakes. Extreme damage in Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) and nearby villages, where almost all brick buildings collapsed, concrete structures were heavily damaged and freight trains were derailed. Damage and casualties also occurred in the Darreh Gaz area, Iran. Surface rupture was observed both northwest and southeast of Ashgabat. Many sources list the casualty total at 10,000, but a news release on 9 Dec 1988 advised that the correct death toll was 110,000.

1985	Northwest Territories, Canada	6.8	Slight damage (VI) at Wrigley, Nahanni Butte and Fort Liard. Felt (V) at Fort Simpson. Numerous landslides observed in the epicentral area. Felt in parts of Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Also felt at Juneau, Skagway and Sitka, Alaska. Fluctuation of well water levels observed at Rolla, Missouri. From Significant Earthquakes of the World, 1985.

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