528 Antioch earthquake

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
528 Antioch earthquake
Syria physical location map.svg
Bullseye1.png
Local date29 November 528
Magnitude Ms 7.1
Epicenter 36°15′N36°06′E / 36.25°N 36.10°E / 36.25; 36.10 [1]
Areas affected Byzantine Empire (present-day Turkey and Syria)
Max. intensity MMI XI (Extreme)
Casualties4,870 fatalities

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.

Contents

Tectonic setting

The site of Antioch lies close to the complex triple junction between the northern end of the Dead Sea Transform, the mainly transform boundary between the African plate and the Arabian plate, the southwestern end of the East Anatolian Fault, the mainly transform boundary between the Anatolian Plate and the Arabian plate, and the northeastern end of the Cyprus Arc, the boundary between the Anatolian and African plates. The city lies on the Antakya Basin, part of the Amik Basin, filled by Pliocene to recent alluvial sediments. The area has been affected by many large earthquakes during the last 2,000 years. [2] The modern city of Antioch, now Antakya, was devastated by earthquakes in 1872 and 2023. [3] [4]

Earthquake

The earthquake had an estimated surface-wave magnitude and local magnitude of 7.1 and 6.9, respectively. The maximum Modified Mercalli intensity was assigned in Antioch and Latakia, at X–XI (Extreme). Shaking was assigned IV (Light) in Lebanon. [3] [5]

Historical descriptions

The earthquake was heavily documented in accounts by John Malalas and Procopius. Malalas documented a series of disasters that began with a fire in 525 that destroyed parts of the city. The following year, an earthquake and fire that followed levelled the entirety of Antioch, killing about 250,000 people. In an attempt to make sense of the devastation he witnessed, Malalas viewed the 528 earthquake and preceding events as connected to each other. [6]

The earthquake destroyed every building that had been reconstructed or left intact following the 526 earthquake. John of Ephesus wrote that the Great Church was destroyed. [3] Antioch's city walls were razed, and damage was also reported in nearby cities. Tax exemptions was put in place as a relief measure. Unlike the earthquake of 526, there was no conflagration, hence, many inhabitants believed God's had shielded them from further catastrophe. [6]

A harsh winter arrived after the earthquake causing further misery. Its residents walked a mile away from the city barefoot in a ceremonial form, to plead for God's mercy. [7] Repentance became a common method of moral support as residents began to believe in a narrative that the series of disasters were intended to purify the city. This belief influenced the decision to rename the city to Theopolis. [6]

When news of the calamity reached other citie, they held prayers and observed mourning. News also reached Justinian I, ruler of the Byzantine Empire, who was in Byzantium. The city's residents also observed several days of prayers. The remaining residents of Antioch fled the city for other settlements or settled in the mountains nearby. Damage was reported in villages within a 10 mi (16 km) radius of Antioch. However, the cities of Defne and Seleucia Pieria escaped unscathed. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

An earthquake occurred on 31 May 1935 between 2:30 am and 3:40 am at Quetta, Balochistan, British India, close to the border with southern Afghanistan. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 Mw  and anywhere between 30,000 and 60,000 people died from the impact. It was recorded as the deadliest earthquake to strike South Asia until 2005. The quake was centred 4 km south-west of Ali Jaan, Balochistan, British India.

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 quake 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.

An earthquake occurred northeast of the city of Adana in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia on 14 May 1269 at "the first hour of the night". Most sources give a death toll of 8,000 in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in southern Asia Minor, but a figure of 60,000 dead was reported by Robert Mallet in 1853 and repeated in many later catalogues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1509 Constantinople earthquake</span> Earthquake in the Sea of Marmara

The 1509 Constantinople earthquake or historically Kıyamet-i Sugra occurred in the Sea of Marmara on 10 September 1509 at about 22:00. The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.2 ± 0.3 on the surface-wave magnitude scale. A tsunami and 45 days of aftershocks followed the earthquake. The death toll of this earthquake is poorly known; estimates range between 1,000 and 13,000.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 Santa Rosa earthquakes</span> Pair of earthquakes that struck Santa Rosa, California

At 04:56 and 06:19 UTC on October 2, 1969, a pair of earthquakes of magnitude 5.6 and 5.7, respectively, struck the city of Santa Rosa, California, killing one person and damaging buildings. The maximum felt intensity for the two events was VII and VIII (Severe) respectively on the Mercalli intensity scale. The $8.35 million cost of the earthquakes went mostly to replace buildings damaged beyond repair. There were at least 200 aftershocks after the initial pair of earthquakes. At the time they were the largest earthquakes to affect the northern San Francisco Bay Area since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The 1943 Tosya–Ladik earthquake occurred at 01:20 local time on 27 November, near Tosya, Kastamonu Province, in northern Turkey. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude of 7.5–7.7 and a maximum felt intensity of XI (Catastrophic) on the MSK-64 scale. Its effects were observed for over 45,000 km2. The earthquake was felt in Trabzon, Isparta, Elazığ, Zonguldak and Yozgat. Damage was seen in Kastamonu, Çankırı, Çorum, Amasya, Samsun, Tokat, Sinop and Ordu. As a result of the earthquake, more than 2,500 were killed and 5,000 were injured.

The 557 Constantinople earthquake took place on the night of December 14. This earthquake, described in the works of Agathias, John Malalas, and Theophanes the Confessor, caused great damage to Constantinople, then capital of the Byzantine Empire in a region frequently afflicted with earthquakes. More minor quakes had preceded the large event, including two in April and October respectively. The main quake in December was of unparalleled ferocity, and "almost completely razed" the city. It caused damage to the Hagia Sophia which contributed to the collapse of its dome the next year, as well as damaging the walls of Constantinople to the extent that Hun invaders were able to penetrate it with ease the following season.

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.

The 31 BC Judea earthquake is mentioned in catalogues of historical earthquakes. It affected the Herodian Kingdom of Judea in the Holy Land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1695 Linfen earthquake</span> Earthquake in China

The 1695 Linfen earthquake struck Shanxi Province in North China, Qing dynasty on May 18. Occurring at a shallow depth within the continental crust, the surface-wave magnitude 7.8 earthquake had a maximum intensity of XI on the China seismic intensity scale and Mercalli intensity scale. This devastating earthquake affected over 120 counties across eight provinces of modern-day China. An estimated 52,600 people died in the earthquake, although the death toll may have been 176,365.

During April 1819, the area around Copiapó in northern Chile was struck by a sequence of earthquakes over a period of several days. The largest of these earthquakes occurred on 11 April at about 15:00 local time, with an estimated magnitude of Mw 8.5. The other two events, on 3 April between 08:00 and 09:00 local time and on 4 April at 16:00 local time, are interpreted as foreshocks to the mainshock on 11 April. The mainshock triggered a tsunami that affected 800 km of coastline and was also recorded at Hawaii. The city of Copiapó was devastated.

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">1641 Tabriz earthquake</span> Earthquake centered in northwestern Iran

The 1641 Tabriz earthquake occurred on the night of February 5 in present-day East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The earthquake had an estimated surface-wave magnitude of 6.8 and an epicenter between Lake Urmia and the city of Tabriz. It was one of the most destructive earthquakes in the region, resulting in the loss of up to 30,000 lives.

<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 1899 Aydın–Denizli earthquake which struck present-day Turkey on September 20 resulted in between 1,117 and 1,470 fatalities. Heavy damage was reported in the provinces of Aydın and Denizli. The shallow normal-faulting earthquake had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Estimates of the seismic magnitude range from 6.5 to 7.1 Mw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1902 Shamakhi earthquake</span>

The 1902 Shamakhi earthquake occurred on 13 February with a moment magnitude of 7.4 and maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Up to 2,000 people died and thousands more were injured in the Shemakha uezd within the Baku Governorate of the Russian Empire. About 7,439 buildings were damaged or destroyed in the city and surrounding villages. Shamakhi had been devastated by earlier earthquakes in 1806, 1859 and 1872. It is one of the most destructive earthquakes in Azerbaijan.

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.

References

  1. "Online catalogue of strong earthquakes in Italy 461 BC to 1997 and Mediterranean area 760 BC to 1500". Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  2. Çaktı, E.; Bikçe M.; Özel O.; Geneş C.; Kaçın S. & Kaya Y. (2011). "Antakya Basin Strong Ground Motion Network" (PDF). Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Sbeinati, Mohamed Reda; Darawcheh, Ryad; Mouty, Mikhail (2005). "The historical earthquakes of Syria: an analysis of large and moderate earthquakes from 1365 B.C. to 1900 A.D." (PDF). Annals of Geophysics. 48 (3): 347–435.
  4. Hubbard, Ben; Kirac, Nimet (1 October 2023). "An Ancient City, Now in Ruins, Struggles to Keep Its Soul". The New York Times. Antakya, Turkey. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  5. National Geophysical Data Center (1972). "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 13 August 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 Borsch, Jonas (2023). "God's Wrath over Antioch, 525–540 CE: Beginning of the End?". Studies in Late Antiquity. 7 (2): 201–241. doi:10.1525/sla.2023.7.2.201.
  7. 1 2 The Chronicle of John Malalas. Byzantina Australiensia. Vol. 4. Translated by Elizabeth Jeffrey; s, Michael Jeffreys; Roger Scott. BRILL. 1986. p. 257. ISBN   9004344608.