1812 Caracas earthquake
Local date | March 26, 1812 |
---|---|
Local time | 16:37 |
Magnitude | 7.7 M[1] |
Depth | 33 km (21 mi)[1] |
Epicenter | 10°36′N 66°54′W / 10.6°N 66.9°W[1] |
Max. intensity | MMI X (Extreme) [1] |
Casualties | 15,000–20,000 fatalities |
The 1812 Caracas earthquake took place in
The seismic movement was so significant that in a zone named Valecillo, a new lake was formed and the river Yurubí was dammed up. Numerous rivulets changed their course in the Caracas valley, which was flooded with dirty water. [citation needed]
Based on contemporary descriptions, the earthquake is believed to have consisted of two seismic shocks occurring within the span of 30 minutes.[citation needed] The first destroyed Caracas and the second Mérida, where it was raining when the shock occurred.
Tectonic setting
Northern Venezuela lies across the complex boundary between the
Earthquake
The precise details of the earthquake sequence remain uncertain. There is evidence of two separate sub-events, one to the southwest and another with an epicentre just offshore near Caracas. It is unclear which of these two events came first, or whether there was a significant time gap between them. One sub-event ruptured the northeasternmost segment of the Boconó Fault, with an estimated magnitude of 7.4 Mw while the second sub-event ruptured the San Sebastián Fault offshore Caracas, with an estimated magnitude of 7.1 Mw .[3]
Response
The destruction in Caracas was so widespread that the Gazeta de Caracas suggested founding a new capital city in "the beautiful [...] Catia where pure air may be breathed".[This quote needs a citation]
Since the earthquake occurred on Maundy Thursday while the
The first international assistance received by Venezuela in response to the earthquake came from the United States, "...when the congress convened in Washington decreed unanimously the sending of five ships loaded with flour, to the coasts of Venezuela to be distributed among the most indigent of its inhabitants."[6] This $50,000 was the first-ever instance of U.S. foreign aid.[7]
See also
References
- ^ doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- ^ Audemard, F.A.; Machette, M.N.; Cox, J.W.; Dart, R.L.; Haller, K.M. (2000). "Map and Database of Quaternary Faults in Venezuela and its Offshore Regions" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- S2CID 133987647.
- ^ "Nacimiento de una nación; Terremoto de 1812" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 20, 2006.
- ^ "Birth of a World: Bolivar in Terms of His Peoples". Book by Waldo David Frank, p. 55, 1951.
- ^ Von Humboldt, Alexander. "14". Le voyage aux régions equinoxiales du Nouveau Continent, fait en 1799–1804.
- ^ Fitz, Caitlin. Our Sister Republics: The United States in an Age of American Revolutions.