|
| Year |
Location |
Magnitude |
Comment |
|
| 1861 |
Tilsit, Germany
|
|
Emil Wiechert born.
A pioneer in the science of seismology.
Wiechert's first seismograph was a horizontal-pendulum instrument, which recorded photographically.
He used an inverted pendulum
stabilized by springs and free to oscillate in any direction horizontally.
The seismograph was completed in 1900.
The Wiechert inverted-pendulum seismometer is
probably the earliest seismograph which is still used,
in essentially its original form, in some modern seismological observatories.
See:
The Early History of Seismometry (to 1900)
|
|
| 1939 |
Erzincan, Turkey
|
7.8 |
32,700 deaths.
One of the world's deadliest earthquakes.
Extreme damage in the Erzincan Plain
and the Kelkit River Valley. Damage
(VII) occurred from near Turcan, where
a strong earthquake (possibly a fore-
shock) had occurred on Nov 21, west to
Amasya and from Sivas north to the
Black Sea coast. The quake was felt
strongly at Larnaca, Cyprus. Over 300
km (190 mi) of surface faulting was
observed in the North Anatolian Fault
Zone between Erzincan and Niksar, with
as much as 3.7 m (2.5 ft) of horizontal
displacement and 2.0 m (1.2 ft) of
vertical offset. A small tsunami was
observed at Fatsa on the Black Sea
coast of Turkey. It was recorded by
tide stations from Tuapse, Russia to
Sevastopol, Ukraine.
|
|
| 1979 |
United Kingdom
|
4.5 |
The earthquake was located about 30
kilometers northeast of Carlisle.
Slight damage (MM V) was reported in the
Carlisle and Glasgow areas. The before-dawn
shock frightened many people, sending
thousands of people into the streets in
southern Scotland and northwestern England. It was
also felt at Belfast, Northern Ireland, and
on the Isle of Man.
This was the largest earthquake
experienced in this area since 1931, when
a magnitude 5.6 occurred on June 7.
|
|
| 2003 |
Southeastern Iran
|
6.6 |
Deadliest earthquake in 2003.
About 31,000 people killed, 30,000 injured, 75,600 homeless and 85
percent of buildings damaged or destroyed in the Bam area. Maximum
intensities IX at Bam and VIII at Baravat. Felt (V) at Kerman. Damage
estimated at 32.7 million U.S. dollars. Surface ruptures associated with the
Bam Fault were observed between Bam and Baravat. Maximum
acceleration of 0.98g recorded at Bam. Landslides occurred in the
epicentral area. Believed to be the largest earthquake in this area in more
than 2000 years
|
|
| 2004 |
Off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra
|
9.1 |
Largest and deadliest earthquake in 2004.
This is the third largest earthquake in the world since 1900
and is the largest since the 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska
earthquake.
In total, 227,898 people were killed or were missing
and presumed dead and about 1.7 million people were displaced
by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 14 countries in
South Asia and East Africa.
(In January 2005, the death toll was 286,000. In April 2005,
Indonesia reduced its estimate for the number missing by over 50,000.)
The earthquake was felt (IX) at
Banda Aceh, (VIII) at Meulaboh and (IV) at Medan, Sumatra and
(III-V) in parts of Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Maldives,
Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The tsunami caused
more casualties than any other in recorded history and was
recorded nearly world-wide on tide gauges in the Indian, Pacific
and Atlantic Oceans. Seiches were observed in India and the
United States. Subsidence and landslides were observed in
Sumatra. A mud volcano near Baratang, Andaman Islands became
active on December 28 and gas emissions were reported in Arakan,
Myanmar.
|
|
|
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey