UTC time | 2002-04-25 17:41:21 |
---|---|
ISC event | 3004606 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | April 25, 2002 |
Local time | 21:41:21 |
Magnitude | 4.8 mb (NEIC) 4.3 Ms (NEIC) |
Depth | 10 km (6 mi) [1] |
Epicenter | 41°46′N44°52′E / 41.77°N 44.86°E [1] |
Total damage | $160–350 million [1] [2] |
Max. intensity | MSK-64 VII (Very strong) – MSK-64 VIII (Damaging) |
Peak acceleration | 0.11 g [3] |
Casualties | 5–7 dead [1] [4] 52–70 injured [1] 1,086 displaced [1] |
The 2002 Tbilisi earthquake occurred on April 25 in the Caucasus country of Georgia. The United States' National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) placed the magnitude at 4.3 Ms and 4.8 mb . This moderate magnitude event resulted in a maximum MSK intensity of VII (Very strong) to VIII (Damaging). An independent investigation estimated the total losses at $160 million (US) while the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters estimated the total losses at 350 million. Between five and seven were killed, 52–70 were injured, and more than 1,000 were left homeless.
Tbilisi lies near the northern boundary of the complex zone of deformation associated with the continuing collision between the Arabian plate and the Eurasian plate. To the north, the mountains of the Greater Caucasus are a result of active thrust tectonics, linking eastwards to the Apsheron sill. To the south, the Lesser Caucasus mountains are also a result of active thrust tectonics. [5] The whole Caucasus region is affected by earthquakes, with the largest known being associated with the active front of the Greater Caucasus thrust belt, such as the 1991 Racha earthquake. Tbilisi itself has relatively low seismicity, although there are historical records of damaging earthquakes, such as the event in 1896, which had an estimated intensity of VII (MSK), the strongest known earthquake to have affected Tbilisi during historical times. [6]
The earthquake was preceded by a series of foreshocks, of which the largest was M 3.5 on April 11. [7] The mainshock had an estimated magnitude of 4.7 mb (ISC), 4.8 mb (ANSS), 4.5 Ms , [8] with an estimate hypocentral depth of 13.6 km (ISC), 10.0 km (ANSS), 5.0 km [8] and 3.0 km. [9] The mainshock produced higher intensity shaking than would normally be expected for an earthquake of that magnitude. The frequency was also unusually high (maximum 5 Hz) and the duration was short. [3] The epicenter was located centrally within the city of Tbilisi, something that had not been considered in earlier studies of potential seismic source zones. [10]
The unusually high frequency of the shaking, combined with the short duration, meant that there was little damage to larger buildings or those built using reinforced concrete. The most affected buildings were, in contrast, low-rise brick or stone built, which were concentrated in the older part of the city. Buildings affected during the mainshock were further damaged by some of the aftershocks. A total of 18,000 households were badly affected, leaving 69,000 people homeless. [3] There was also significant damage to some schools and hospitals. [11]
Between five and seven people died as a result of the earthquake and a further 52–70 were injured. [1]
Two earthquakes hit the Italian regions of Molise and Apulia on 31 October at 10:32:58 (UTC) and 1 November at 15:09:00 (UTC). The shocks had magnitudes of 5.9 and 5.8 Mw respectively. Most of the victims were killed and injured when a school collapsed in the town of San Giuliano di Puglia: 26 of the 51 schoolchildren died, together with one of their teachers. In particular, none of the nine children in the school's 4th Year survived.
The 1991 Racha earthquake occurred in the province of Racha, Georgia, at 9:12 UTC on 29 April. Centered on the districts of Oni and Ambrolauri on the southern foothills of the Greater Caucasus mountains, it killed 270, left approximately 100,000 homeless and caused severe damage, including to several medieval monuments. It had a magnitude of 7.0 and was the most powerful earthquake recorded in the Caucasus.
The 1995 Neftegorsk earthquake occurred on 28 May at 1:04 local time on northern Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East. It was the most destructive earthquake known within the current state of Russia, with a magnitude of Ms7.1 and maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) that devastated the oil town of Neftegorsk, where 1,989 of its 3,977 citizens were killed, and another 750 injured.
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 1667 Shamakhi earthquake occurred on 25 November 1667 with an epicenter close to the city of Shamakhi, Azerbaijan. It had an estimated surface-wave magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum felt intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. An estimated 80,000 people died.
The 1990 Vrancea earthquakes were three earthquakes on 30 and 31 May 1990 with magnitudes of 7.0 Mw and 6.2 Mw that struck the Romanian county of Vrancea, on two consecutive days. Severe damage in the Bucharest-Brăila-Brașov area was reported and dozens of casualties in Romania and neighbouring Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
The 1992 Murindó earthquake occurred on October 18 at 15:11 UTC with an epicenter in the Department of Chocó, northern Colombia. The shallow magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck northwest of the town of Murindó, killing ten and injured more than a hundred. Thirty-three municipalities were severely damaged.
On May 4, 2018, an earthquake with a magnitude of Mw 6.9 struck Hawaii island in the Hawaii archipelago at around 12:33 p.m. local time. The earthquake's epicenter was near the south flank of Kīlauea, which has been the site of seismic and volcanic activity since late April of that year. According to the United States Geological Survey the quake was related to the new lava outbreaks at the volcano, and it resulted in the Hilina Slump moving about two feet. It was the largest earthquake to affect Hawaii since the 1975 earthquake, which affected the same region, killing two people and injuring another 28.
On 4 May 2000 at 12:21 WITA, Banggai Islands Regency was hit by an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 Mw, followed by a tsunami. The Banggai Islands, an archipelago located at the far eastern end of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, was the worst affected by the earthquake. Eighty percent of Banggai's buildings were destroyed. Damage also occurred on Peleng. The earthquake triggered a local tsunami of up to 6 m in height that caused significant damage east of Luwuk on the mainland and on Peleng.
The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes of July 4 and 5 occurred north and northeast of the town of Ridgecrest, California located in Kern County and west of Searles Valley. They included three initial main shocks of Mw magnitudes 6.4, 5.4, and 7.1, and many perceptible aftershocks, mainly within the area of the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Eleven months later, a Mw 5.5 aftershock took place to the east of Ridgecrest. The first main shock occurred on Thursday, July 4 at 10:33 a.m. PDT, approximately 18 km (11.2 mi) ENE of Ridgecrest, and 13 km (8.1 mi) WSW of Trona, on a previously unnoticed NE-SW trending fault where it intersects the NW-SE trending Little Lake Fault Zone. This quake was preceded by several smaller earthquakes, and was followed by more than 1,400 detected aftershocks. The M 5.4 and M 7.1 quakes struck on Friday, July 5 at 4:08 a.m. and 8:19 p.m. PDT approximately 10 km (6 miles) to the northwest. The latter, now considered the mainshock, was the most powerful earthquake to occur in the state in 20 years. Subsequent aftershocks extended approximately 50 km (~30 miles) along the Little Lake Fault Zone.
On January 1, 1996, at 4:05 p.m. Central Indonesia Time, an earthquake with an epicenter in the Makassar Strait struck north of Minahasa on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The earthquake measured 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale and was centered off Tolitoli Regency in Central Sulawesi, or 25 km from the Tonggolobibi village. A tsunami of 2–4 m (6.6–13.1 ft) was triggered by this earthquake as a result. At least 350 buildings were badly damaged, nine people died and 63 people were injured.
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.
The 1920 Xalapa earthquake affected the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in the states of Puebla and Veracruz, Mexico on 3 January at 22:25 CST. It was the second deadliest to affect Mexico, behind the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. The earthquake measured 6.3–6.4 on the moment magnitude scale. An area around the epicenter, located between Chilchotla and Patlanalán, was assigned the maximum intensity of XI–XII (Extreme) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. Aftershocks following the earthquake were studied to determine that it originated at a depth of 15 km (9.3 mi) of less. The focal mechanism indicated that the shock was the result of faulting along an east–west striking normal fault beneath the volcanic belt.
The 1902 Turkestan earthquake devastated Xinjiang, China, near the Kyrgyzstan border. It occurred on August 22, 1902, at 03:00:22 with an epicenter in the Tien Shan mountains. The thrust earthquake measured 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) and had a depth of 18 km (11 mi).
The 1990 Gonghe earthquake occurred on April 26 at 17:37 China Standard Time in Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. The mainshock had a surface wave magnitude of 7.0 Ms and a moment magnitude of 6.5 Mw . It was presaged by two foreshocks that struck merely seconds before the main earthquake. On the Mercalli intensity scale, the earthquake had a rating of IX (Violent).
The 1994 Mascara earthquake occurred on August 18 at 02:13 local time with an epicenter in a rural part of Algeria. The earthquake measured 5.8 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) and had a depth of 10 km (6.2 mi). It caused the deaths of 171 people, left up to 12,500 homeless, and destroyed thousands of homes in Mascara Province. Many homes were damaged or destroyed due to poor building quality which collapsed on the inhabitants and resulted in a majority of the casualties. The national government launched a rapid response effort in its aftermath.
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 2016 Alboran Sea earthquake struck offshore, north northeast of Al Hoceïma, Morocco in the Strait of Gibraltar on 25 January at 04:22:02 UTC, or roughly 05:22:02 West Africa Time. At its strongest in the Alboran Sea, the earthquake measured 6.3–6.4 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) at a shallow hypocenter depth of 12 km (7.5 mi). Assigned a maximum Modified Mercalli scale intensity of VI (Strong), the earthquake caused one fatality, injuries to at least 30 persons, and moderate damage in Morocco and Spain.
The 1997 Bojnurd earthquake occurred on 4 February at 14:07 IRST in Iran. The epicenter of the Mw 6.5 earthquake was in the Kopet Dag mountains of North Khorasan, near the Iran–Turkmenistan border, about 579 km (360 mi) northeast of Tehran. The earthquake is characterized by shallow strike-slip faulting in a zone of active faults. Seismic activity is present as the Kopet Dag is actively accommodating tectonics through faulting. The earthquake left 88 dead, 1,948 injured, and affected 173 villages, including four which were destroyed. Damage also occurred in Shirvan and Bojnord counties. The total cost of damage was estimated to be over US$ 30 million.
The 1970 Dagestan earthquake occurred on May 14 at 21:12 MSK, in the Republic of Dagestan, Soviet Union. It had a moment magnitude of 6.7, and a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). It was preceded by foreshocks a few hours earlier. The epicenter was located on the territory of the Buynaksky District. As a result of the event, 25 percent of the territory of the republic was affected. The earthquake completely destroyed 257 settlements, including the cities of Makhachkala, Buynaksk, Kaspiysk, Khasavyurt and Kizilyurt. It caused at least 31 fatalities and up to 1,000 injured.