![]() Rockslide at the Combe des Andins | |
UTC time | 1946-01-25 17:31:50 |
---|---|
ISC event | 898227 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | 25 January 1946 |
Local time | 17:32 CET |
Magnitude | 6.2 Mw |
Epicenter | 46°24′N7°30′E / 46.4°N 7.5°E |
Max. intensity | VIII (Severe) |
Aftershocks | Three recorded. The largest was a 5.9 Mw |
Casualties | 3 dead in Switzerland 1 dead in France |
The 1946 Valais earthquake struck on 25 January at 17:32 local time with an epicenter region in Sierre, near the capital city of Sion in Valais, a canton in Switzerland. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude (Mw ) of 6.2 and a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). [1] [2] [3]
The earthquake immediately disrupted the supply of power in Sierre, and other nearby populated centers in the Valais canton. The tremors caused panic and drove residents out of their homes. Many homes suffered damage to their structure, with chimneys destroyed, detached roof tiles, and broken facades. A newly-constructed church in Chippis partially collapsed and had some of the remaining structures severely damaged and unstable. Despite the severity of damage, with 3,500 buildings damaged, there were very few injuries or deaths reported; three persons suffered fatal shocks and another was crushed to death by a car in Aix-les-Bains, France. [4] Twenty-one rockfalls, one major, occurred. The earthquake also triggered 11 landslides, four avalanches, and a number of ground effects along the Rhône river valley. The landslides and rockfalls reportedly destroyed huts and barns near the mountainside. Damage was also reported in the district of Vaud in Villeneuve. In Château-d'Œx, the quake knocked display items onto the ground at an art exhibition. [5] The total damage is estimated at 5.265 million Swiss francs in 1946, or 25.7 million in 2021. [6]
Three large aftershocks were recorded up till May 1946. The first two measured 5.2 and 5.1 on 26 January and 4 February were assigned maximum intensities VI to V. The largest occurred on May 30 with a magnitude of Mw 5.9 and maximum intensity of VII. [3] The aftershock on May 30 triggered 22 rockfalls and three landslides. [7]
Prior to the mainshock, two notable foreshocks occurred on November 10 and 13 with respective intensities V and IV on the Rossi-Forel scale.
The 2006 Tonga earthquake occurred on 4 May at 04:26:35 local time with a moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII. One injury occurred and a non-destructive tsunami was observed.
The 1356 Basel earthquake is the most significant seismological event to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history and had a moment magnitude in the range of 6.0–7.1. This earthquake, which occurred on 18 October 1356, is also known as the Sankt-Lukas-Tag Erdbeben, as 18 October is the feast day of Saint Luke the Evangelist.
The 1927 Crimean earthquakes occurred in the month of June and again in September in the waters of the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula. Each of the submarine earthquakes in the sequence triggered tsunami. The June event was moderate relative to the large September 11 event, which had at least one aftershock that also generated a tsunami. Following the large September event, natural gas that was released from the sea floor created flames that were visible along the coastline, and was accompanied by bright flashes and explosions.
The 2004 Al Hoceima earthquake occurred on 24 February at 02:27:47 local time near the coast of northern Morocco. The strike-slip earthquake measured 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum perceived intensity of IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Between 628 and 631 people were killed, 926 injured, and up to 15,000 people were rendered homeless in the Al Hoceima-Imzourene-Beni Abdallah area.
The 1992 Big Bear earthquake occurred at 08:05:33 PDT on June 28 in Big Bear Lake, California, with a moment magnitude of 6.5 and a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The earthquake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 5 kilometers (3.1 mi).
In the early morning hours of August 16, 1931, a powerful earthquake occurred in West Texas with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). Estimates of its magnitude range between 5.8–6.4 mb, making it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Texas history. Its epicenter was near the town of Valentine, Texas; there, the earthquake caused damage to many homes and buildings. The earthquake may have been caused by movement along oblique-slip faulting in West Texas, the most seismically-active region in the state. Shaking from the earthquake was perceptible within a 400 mi (640 km) radius of the epicenter, affecting four U.S. states and northern Mexico. Several foreshocks and aftershocks accompanied the primary temblor, with the aftershocks continuing until at least November 3, 1931. The main earthquake caused no fatalities, though several people sustained minor injuries; the damage in Valentine amounted to $50,000–$75,000.
The Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zurich is the federal agency responsible for monitoring earthquakes in Switzerland and its neighboring countries and for assessing Switzerland's seismic hazard. When an earthquake happens, the SED informs the public, authorities, and the media about the earthquake's location, magnitude, and possible consequences. The activities of the SED are integrated in the federal action plan for earthquake precaution.
The 1982 North Yemen earthquake hit near the city of Dhamar, North Yemen on December 13. Measuring 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale, with a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale, as many as 2,800 people were killed and another 1,500 injured. The shock occurred within several hundred kilometers of a plate boundary in a geologically complex region that includes active volcanoes and seafloor spreading ridges. Yemen has a history of destructive earthquakes, though this was the first instrumentally recorded event to be detected on global seismograph networks.
The 1935 Erdek–Marmara Islands earthquake occurred at 16:41:30 local time 4 January on the islands of Marmara and Avşa off Erdek in the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. It had a moment magnitude of 6.4 and a maximum felt intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale, causing 5 deaths and 30 injuries.
The 1967 Mudurnu earthquake or more correctly, the 1967 Mudurnu Valley earthquake occurred at about 18:57 local time on 22 July near Mudurnu, Bolu Province, north-western Turkey. The magnitude 7.4 Mw earthquake was one of a series of major and intermediate quakes that have occurred in modern times along the North Anatolian Fault since 1939.
The 1918 San Jacinto earthquake occurred in extreme eastern San Diego County in Southern California on April 21 at 14:32:29 local time. The shock had a moment magnitude of 6.7 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Several injuries and one death occurred with total losses estimated to be $200,000.
The 1946 Ancash earthquake in the Andes Mountains of central Peru occurred on November 10 at 17:43 UTC. The earthquake had a surface-wave magnitude of 7.0, and achieved a maximum Mercalli intensity scale rating of XI (Extreme). About 1,400 Peruvians are thought to have died from the event.
On November 2 of 1946, west Kyrgyzstan was struck by a magnitude 7.5–7.6 earthquake, the largest in the republic since 1911. The earthquake's hypocenter is probably located beneath the Tian Shan Mountains, near the border with Uzbekistan and north of Namangan.
On April 13, 1923 at 15:31 UTC, an earthquake occurred off the northern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the USSR, present-day Russia. The earthquake had a surface-wave magnitude (Ms ) of 6.8–7.3 and an estimated moment magnitude (Mw ) of 7.0–8.2. This event came just two months after a slightly larger earthquake with an epicenter struck south of the April event. Both earthquakes were tsunamigenic although the latter generated wave heights far exceeding that of the one in February. After two foreshocks of "moderate force", the main event caused considerable damage. Most of the 36 casualties were the result of the tsunami inundation rather than the earthquake.
The 1941 Sa'dah earthquake or the Jabal Razih earthquake occurred on January 11 in Razih District of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen. The earthquake had a surface-wave magnitude of 5.8–6.5 and a shallow focal depth. Despite the moderate size of this earthquake, an estimated 1,200 people perished and at least 200 injured. With a maximum MSK-64 intensity assigned at VIII, it destroyed many villages and collapsed homes in the region of North Yemen.
The 1969 Alaşehir earthquake occurred on March 28 at 03:48 local time near the city of Alaşehir in Turkey's Manisa Province. The Mw 6.8 earthquake struck at 10 km (6.2 mi) depth. It had a MSK 64 intensity of VIII (Destructive). At least 53 people were killed in the earthquake.
The 1925 Montana earthquake occurred at 17:21:12 MDT on 27 June in Montana, with the epicenter being located near Townsend. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9 in the surface wave magnitude scale. A maximum intensity of IX (Violent) was observed. Serious damage was reported near the epicenter. 3 hours after the mainshock, a strong aftershock was recorded with an unknown magnitude that also caused damage.
The 1957 Farsinaj earthquake struck Hamadan, Iran on 13 December at 05:15 local time. The moment magnitude 6.5 earthquake destroyed 211 villages, killed approximately 1,130 people, and left another 900 injured.
The 1584 Aigle earthquake occurred on 11 March at 23:00–23:30 local time in Switzerland. The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 5.9–6.4 and maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The shock generated a tsunami in Lake Geneva. It was followed by 25 aftershocks in the following days. An aftershock on 14 March triggered a large rockslide that killed 320 people.