447 Constantinople earthquake

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447 Constantinople earthquake
Marmara Region location map.svg
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Local date26 January, 6 November, 8 November or 8 December 447
Local timeNight
Magnitude6.4 M [1]
Epicenter 41°00′29″N28°58′41″E / 41.008°N 28.978°E / 41.008; 28.978 [1]
Areas affected Bithynia, Thrace, Byzantine Empire
Max. intensity MMI IX (Violent)
Tsunamiyes [2] [3]

The area around Constantinople was affected by a major earthquake in AD 447. It caused serious damage to the recently completed Theodosian Walls in Constantinople, destroying 57 towers and large stretches of the walls. The historical records contain no mention of casualties directly associated with this earthquake, although many thousands of people were reported to have died in the aftermath due to starvation and a "noxious smell". [1]

Contents

Earthquake

There is some uncertainty in the date of this earthquake, with 26 January, 6 November, 8 November and 8 December all being proposed. [4]

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The 1941 Hyūga-nada earthquake occurred off the coast of Kyushu, Japan at 19:02 local time on November 19. The earthquake measured 8.0 Mw  and had a depth of 35 km (22 mi). A JMA seismic intensity of 5 was observed in Miyazaki City and Nobeoka City in Miyazaki Prefecture, and Hitoyoshi City in Kumamoto Prefecture. Due to the earthquake, a tsunami with a maximum wave height of 1.2 m was observed in Kyushu and Shikoku. The tsunami washed away many ships. Twenty-seven homes were destroyed and two people were killed. In Miyazaki, Ōita and Kagoshima prefectures, telephone services were disrupted. Subsidence by 8 cm (3.1 in) was recorded at Hyūga, Miyazaki. At Nobeoka, stone walls and embankments were damaged while roads cracked. It was felt as far as central Honshu.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Guidoboni, E.; Ferrari, G.; Mariotti, D.; Comastri, A.; Tarabusi, G.; Sgatoni, G.; Valensise, G. "Catalogue of Strong Earthquakes in Italy (461 BC – 1997) and Mediterranean Area (760 B.C. – 1500)". INGV-SGA.
  2. Ambraseys, N.N.; Finkel, C.F. (1991). "Long-term seismicity of Istanbul and of the Marmara Sea region". Terra Nova. 3 (5): 527–539. Bibcode:1991TeNov...3..527A. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3121.1991.tb00188.x.
  3. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (1972), Tsunami Event Information, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K , retrieved 8 November 2020
  4. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . Retrieved 8 November 2020.

Further reading