1875 Cúcuta earthquake

Coordinates: 7°54′N 72°30′W / 7.9°N 72.5°W / 7.9; -72.5
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

1875 Cúcuta earthquake
1875 Cúcuta earthquake is located in Colombia
1875 Cúcuta earthquake
UTC time1875-05-18
Local date18 May 1875 (1875-05-18)
Local time11:15
MagnitudeMw  6.75
Epicenter7°54′N 72°30′W / 7.9°N 72.5°W / 7.9; -72.5
Areas affectedColombia, Venezuela
Casualties~10,000
Cúcuta at 1900
The Julio Pérez Ferrero Library, one of the oldest buildings of Cúcuta.

The 1875 Cúcuta earthquake (also known as earthquake of the Andes) occurred on 18 May at 11:15 AM. It completely demolished

Capacho (Venezuela). The earthquake killed many Venezuelans in San Cristóbal, La Mulata, Rubio, Michelena, La Grita, Colón, amongst others, and was felt in both Bogotá and Caracas
.

That day, the city of

Historic church) to means to construct, the members of the First Congress of the Great Colombia, known as Congress of Cúcuta
.

Still it is observed the rest of the church that collapse during the great seismic movement, the houses of that time in the zone were of the purest

Spanish colonial style
.

Geology

The earthquake occurred in the Mérida Andes and scientists proposed it was associated with rupture on the Aguas Calientes Fault System or faults in the Cucuta graben. The Aguas Calientes Fault System is a northwestern extension of the Boconó Fault. Paleoseismic studies of the Aguas Calientes Fault System at the presumed earthquake epicenter revealed evidence of recent surface rupture. The central part of the Aguas Calientes Fault System was the likely source of the event. Its moment magnitude is estimated at Mw  6.75.[1]

Death toll

The exact number of victims is not known; Spokane Daily Chronicle reported that the figure was as many as 2,500,[2] while other sources say that the death toll was about 1,000.[3][4] Early newspaper reports put the number at 8 to 10,000.[5][6] The Evening Post wrote that 5,000 died outright with a further 9,000 dying from the after effects such as fever and lockjaw.[7]

Affected areas

The earthquake covered 5 degrees of

Mulata, Rubio, Michelena, La Grita, Colón in Venezuela. In addition it was also felt in Bogotá and Caracas
.

See also

References

  1. .
  2. ^ "Island Smashed-Toll in Quake Nearing 400". Spokane Daily Chronicle. 14 December 1979. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  3. ^ "Earthquake rocks central Colombia". BBC News. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  4. ^ "Colombians Sift Rubble as Earthquake Toll Rises". The New York Times. 27 January 1999. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  5. ^ "The Earthquake in Cucuta" (PDF). The New York Times. 16 August 1875. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  6. Daily Southern Cross
    . 23 August 1875. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  7. ^ "The Earthquake of South America". Evening Post. 30 August 1875. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  8. Southland Times
    . 13 September 1875. Retrieved 23 February 2010.

Further reading