1839 Martinique earthquake
Francs | |
Max. intensity | MMI IX (Violent) |
---|---|
Tsunami | None |
Landslides | Yes |
Casualties | 390–4,000 dead 28,975 injured |
The 1839 Martinique earthquake occurred on the morning of January 11 with an estimated magnitude of 7.8 Ms , the largest in the Lesser Antilles since 1690.[1] The maximum intensity of this earthquake was assigned IX on both the Mercalli and MSK intensity scales, which left the cities of Saint-Pierre and Fort Royal almost completely destroyed. Estimation on the number of human losses varies from 390 to even 4,000 making this one of the deadliest earthquakes in the Caribbean.
Four years later, the Guadeloupe earthquake with an estimated magnitude 8.5 struck the same region with a human toll between 1,500 and 6,000. It is believed to have originated on the same source fault and may have been related to the eruptions of Mount Pelée in 1851 and 1902.[2]
Tectonic setting
The
Earthquake
The earthquake of 1839 had a probable epicenter located east of Martinique, where intensity IX was felt throughout the island.[2] On the island of Saint Lucia and Dominica, intensity IX persisted, but weakened to VIII at the southern and northern part of the islands respectively.[7] Level VIII to VI was felt in Guadeloupe and on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Barbados was hit with VII shaking. Weaker intensities of V and lesser was felt in the northern Lesser Antilles and in Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname.
It is believed that the megathrust ruptured for 140 km and had an average slip of 8 meters. The magnitude of the quake varies between 7.5 and 8.0 on the Mw and Ms scales.[8][2][9]
Impact
The morning of January 11 in Martinique was disrupted by three instances of violent shaking which varied in duration from 30 seconds to two minutes. The earthquake was felt throughout the Lesser Antilles but the most serious damage was on the island of Martinique. At
Other cities saw serious destruction but not as severe like in Fort Royal. An area in Saint-Pierre was heavily affected where all but two or three houses were left standing.[10] In other parts of the island, churches and stone construction collapsed in the quake. About 300 to 4,000 people died from the earthquake, this was because officials had not counted the number of slaves killed to avoid compensation requests by their owners.
Like the earthquake which occurred in 1843, no tsunami was generated.
See also
References
- doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ S2CID 51826757– via Wiley.
- .
- .
- ^ – via USGS.
- .
- .
- ^ Feuillard, M. (1985). Macrosismicité de la Guadeloupe et de la Martinique. Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris.
- Bibcode:2017AGUFM.T31D0657S.
- ^ a b "Remember… January 11, 1839! (in French)". Collectivité territoriale de Martinique (Territorial community of Martinique). Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2020.