1170 Syria earthquake

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1170 Syria earthquake
Syria physical location map.svg
Bullseye1.png
Local date29 June 1170
Local timeEarly morning
Magnitude7.7 Mw
Epicenter 35°06′N36°30′E / 35.1°N 36.5°E / 35.1; 36.5 [1]
Fault Missyaf Fault
Areas affected Syria (region)
Total damageExtreme
Max. intensity MMI X (Extreme) [2]
Casualties~80,000 dead [3] [1]
Map of the Dead Sea Transform showing the main fault segments and motion of the Arabian plate relative to the African plate, from GPS data DeadSeaTransform.png
Map of the Dead Sea Transform showing the main fault segments and motion of the Arabian plate relative to the African plate, from GPS data

One of the largest earthquakes to hit Syria occurred early in the morning of 29 June 1170. [2] It formed part of a sequence of large earthquakes that propagated southwards along the Dead Sea Transform, starting with the 1138 Aleppo earthquake, continuing with the 1157 Hama, 1170 and 1202 Syria events. [2] The estimated magnitude is 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale, with the maximum intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale.

Contents

Tectonic setting

Western Syria lies across the boundary between the African plate and the Arabian plate, which consists of the various segments of the Dead Sea Transform. The main strand passing through the Lebanon restraining bend is the Yammouneh Fault, which was responsible for the 1202 earthquake. To the north of this is the Missyaf Fault (or Ghab Fault), which continues up to the Ghab Basin. One earlier earthquake has been identified on this fault segment, the 115 Antioch earthquake. The Missyaf Fault is considered the most likely structure responsible for the 1170 event. The lack of any later major earthquakes on this segment suggests that one is now overdue. [4]

Earthquake

Due to the size of the area affected and the damage it caused, this earthquake is recorded in many contemporary accounts and appears in many more recent catalogues. There has been some confusion over the date, but there is a consensus now that it occurred on 29 June 1170. There is some uncertainty over the location of the epicentre and even whether it was two shocks or just one. The most likely location is on the Missraf segment of the Dead Sea Transform and the single earthquake appears most consistent with contemporary accounts. This implies a large area with high intensity of shaking and this has been used to suggest that the rupture was about 126 km long, involving more than just the Missraf segment, and that the magnitude was about 7.7 Mw . [1]

Several foreshocks were reported [2] and the aftershocks sequence lasted for three months. [3]

Damage

Severe damage was widespread from Antioch in the north to Tripoli and Baalbek in the south. Several places that had been badly damaged by the 1157 Hama earthquake, suffered again, such as Hama, Aleppo and Antioch. [1] The death toll was estimated at 80,000. [5]

In Antioch, the earthquake destroyed the sanctuary of the Cathedral of Saint Peter, where Patriarch Athanasius I was conducting liturgy. He was pulled out alive, but died soon after. The walls along the banks of the Orontes and several churches in Antioch were also destroyed. Prince Bohemond III was deeply affected: he cut his hair and dressed in sackcloth. The shield of castles which Count Raymond II of Tripoli had given to the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar was destroyed. These included Crac des Chevaliers, Chastel Blanc and al-‘Arimah. The Cathedral of Saint Mary was also destroyed. [6]

Related Research Articles

The 1138 Aleppo earthquake was among the deadliest earthquakes in history. Its name was taken from the city of Aleppo, in northern Syria, where the most casualties were sustained. The earthquake also caused damage and chaos to many other places in the area around Aleppo. The earthquake occurred on 11 October 1138 and was preceded by a smaller quake on the 10th. It is frequently listed as the third deadliest earthquake in history, following on from the Shensi and Tangshan earthquakes in China. However, the figure of 230,000 deaths reported by Ibn Taghribirdi in the fifteenth century is most likely based on a historical conflation of this earthquake with earthquakes in November 1137 on the Jazira plain and the large seismic event of 30 September 1139 in the Transcaucasian city of Ganja.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Sea Transform</span> Fault system between the African and Arabian plates

The Dead Sea Transform (DST) fault system, also sometimes referred to as the Dead Sea Rift, is a series of faults that run for about 1,000 km from the Marash triple junction to the northern end of the Red Sea Rift. The fault system forms the transform boundary between the African plate to the west and the Arabian plate to the east. It is a zone of left lateral (sinistral) displacement, signifying the relative motions of the two plates. Both plates are moving in a general north-northeast direction, but the Arabian plate is moving faster, resulting in the observed left lateral motions along the fault of approximately 107 km at its southern end. A component of extension is also present in the southern part of the transform, which has contributed to a series of depressions, or pull-apart basins, forming the Gulf of Aqaba, Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee, and Hula basins. A component of shortening affects the Lebanon restraining bend, leading to uplift on both sides of the Beqaa valley. There is local transtension in the northernmost part of the fault system, forming the Ghab pull-apart basin. The southern part of the fault system runs roughly along the political border of Lebanon and Israel on its western side, and southern Syria and Jordan on the eastern side.

The 1202 Syria earthquake struck at about dawn on 20 May 1202 with an epicenter in southwestern Syria. The earthquake is estimated to have killed around 30,000 people. It was felt over an extensive area, from Sicily to Mesopotamia and Anatolia to upper Egypt, mostly affecting the Ayyubid Sultanate and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The cities of Tyre, Acre and Nablus were heavily damaged. A magnitude of Ms 7.6 has been estimated with damage up to XI on the Mercalli intensity scale.

The 526 Antioch earthquake struck Syria and, in particular, the city of Antioch in the Byzantine Empire. It occurred some time in late May 526, probably between 20 and 29 May, during mid-morning, killing approximately 250,000 people. This was in the seventh year of the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justin I and occurred under the consulship of Olybrius. In Antioch the earthquake was followed by a fire that destroyed most of the buildings left standing after the earthquake. The maximum intensity in Antioch is estimated to have been between VIII (Severe) and IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale.

The 1759 Near East earthquakes shook a large portion of the Levant in October and November of that year. This geographical crossroads in the Eastern Mediterranean were at the time under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The ruins of Baalbek, a settlement in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon east of the Litani River, were badly damaged. These 1759 events, along with the earlier 1202 Syria earthquake, are likely the strongest historical earthquakes in the region.

The Galilee earthquake of 363 was a pair of severe earthquakes that shook the Galilee and nearby regions on May 18 and 19. The maximum perceived intensity for the events was estimated to be X on the European macroseismic scale. The earthquakes occurred on the portion of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) fault system between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">551 Beirut earthquake</span> Earthquake off the Lebanese coast

The 551 Beirut earthquake occurred on 9 July with an estimated magnitude of about 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum felt intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. It triggered a devastating tsunami which affected the coastal towns of Byzantine Phoenicia, causing great destruction and sinking many ships. Overall large numbers of people were reported killed, with one estimate of 30,000 by the anonymous pilgrim of Piacenza for Berytus alone.

An earthquake occurred in Antioch on 13 December 115 AD. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.5 on the surface-wave magnitude scale and an estimated maximum intensity of XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Antioch and surrounding areas were devastated with a great loss of life and property. It triggered a local tsunami that badly damaged the harbour at Caesarea Maritima. The Roman emperor Trajan was caught in the earthquake, as was his successor Hadrian. Although the consul Marcus Pedo Vergilianus was killed, they escaped with only slight injuries and later began a program to rebuild the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">847 Damascus earthquake</span> Earthquake affecting Syria and Lebanon

The 847 Damascus earthquake occurred in AD 847. Recent scholarship suggests that the earthquake was part of a multiple earthquake stretching from Damascus to the south, to Antioch in the north and to Mosul in the east. There were an estimated 20,000 casualties in Antioch according to the 13th-century historian and writer Al-Dhahabi, and 50,000 in Mosul. It is thought to be one of the most powerful earthquakes along the Dead Sea Transform.

The 1931 Zangezur earthquake occurred on April 27 at 20:50:45 local time with a moment magnitude of 6.5. The earthquake was located in the Zangezur Mountains near the boundary between southwestern Armenia and Azerbaijan's exclave, the Nakhichivan Autonomous Republic. Both territories were part of the Soviet Union at that time.

After a year of foreshocks, an earthquake occurred on 12 August 1157 near the city of Hama, in west-central Syria, where the most casualties were sustained. In eastern Syria, near the Euphrates, the quake destroyed the predecessor of the citadel al-Rahba, subsequently rebuilt on the same strategic site. The earthquake also affected Christian monasteries and churches in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

The northern part of the Ottoman Empire was struck by a major earthquake on 13 August 1822. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.0 Ms and a maximum felt intensity of IX (Destructive) on the European macroseismic scale (EMS). It may have triggered a tsunami, affecting nearby coasts. Damaging aftershocks continued for more than two years, with the most destructive being on 5 September 1822. The earthquake was felt over a large area including Rhodes, Cyprus and Gaza. The total death toll reported for this whole earthquake sequence ranges between 30,000 and 60,000, although 20,000 is regarded as a more likely number.

The 1872 Amik (Antakya) earthquake occurred on April 3 with an epicenter within the Amik Valley in the Ottoman Empire. Earthquake had an estimated magnitude of Mw  7.0–7.2 or Ms  7.2 and maximum MSK 64 rating of XI (Catastrophic). Turkey and Syria were devastated by this earthquake, and the region lost at least 1,800 residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1033 Jordan Valley earthquake</span> Earthquake in the Levant

An earthquake struck the Jordan Rift Valley on December 5, AD 1033 and caused extreme devastation in the Levant region. It was part of a sequence of four strong earthquakes in the region between 1033 and 1035. Scholars have estimated the moment magnitude to be greater than 7.0 Mw  and evaluated the Modified Mercalli intensity to X (Extreme). It triggered a tsunami along the Mediterranean coast, causing damage and fatalities. At least 70,000 people were killed in the disaster.

The Marash earthquake occurred in the area of Marash during the early morning hours of November 29, 1114. It had an estimated surface-wave magnitude between 7.4 and 7.7 and an epicenter location in modern-day Turkey. The mainshock was preceded by two destructive foreshocks in August and November that same year. At least 40,000 people were killed in the earthquake; a number contested by historians due to the small population in the area at the time. These earthquakes were associated with seismic activity on the East Anatolian Fault.

A destructive earthquake affected present-day northwestern Syria and south-central Turkey in January 1344. Estimates of the seismic magnitude (Mw ) range between 6.8 and 7.6. The MSK 64 intensity was VII–VIII at Manbij; VI–VII at Aleppo and IV at Damascus. Thousands died in Syria and many structures were destroyed.

The 1796 Latakia earthquake struck present-day east coast of Syria on 26 April. The earthquake had an estimated surface-wave magnitude of 6.8 and maximum EMS-92 intensity of VIII–IX. Damage in Latakia was heavy and there was an estimated 1,500 people killed.

The 528 Antioch earthquake was the second major earthquake to affect the city in a span of two years. The shock occurring on 29 November, estimated at Ms 7.1, was viewed by its residents as the end of a series of disasters that had plagued Antioch. It killed at least 4,870 people and razed the remaining buildings that did not collapse in the earthquake of 526, and newly constructed ones.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Guidoboni E.; Bernardini F.; Comastri A.; Boschi E. (2004). "The large earthquake on 29 June 1170 (Syria, Lebanon, and central southern Turkey)". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 109 (B7). Bibcode:2004JGRB..109.7304G. doi: 10.1029/2003JB002523 .
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ambraseys, Nicholas N. (2004). "The 12th century seismic paroxysm in the Middle East: a historical perspective" (PDF). Annals of Geophysics. 47 (2–3). National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology: 733, 738, 745, 750.
  3. 1 2 Mohamed Reda Sbeinati; Ryad Darawcheh; Mikhail Mouty (2005). "The historical earthquakes of Syria: an analysis of large and moderate earthquakes from 1365 B.C. to 1900 A.D." Annals of Geophysics, Vol. 48, N. 3, June 2005. pp. 381, 389–391, 410. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Meghraoui M.; Gomez F.; Sbeinati R.; Van der Woerd J.; Mounty M.; Darkal A. N.; Radwan Y.; Layyous I.; Al-Najjar H.; Darawcheh R.; Hijazi F.; Al-Ghazzi R.; Barazangi M. (2003). "Evidence for 830 years of Seismic Quiescence from Palaeoseismology, Archaeoseismology and Historical Seismicity Along the Dead Sea Fault in Syria" (PDF). Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 210 (1–2): 35–52. Bibcode:2003E&PSL.210...35M. doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00144-4. hdl: 1813/5320 .
  5. ↑ "Significant Earthquake Information". National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Barber, Malcolm (2012). The Crusader States. Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0300189315.
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