1900 San Narciso earthquake
IX (ESI 2007) | |
Tsunami | 5 meters[3] |
---|---|
Casualties | 140 dead,[4] 50+ injured[5] |
The 1900 Venezuelan earthquake (also known as the San Narciso earthquake (Español: 1900 terremoto de San Narciso)), occurred on October 28 at between 4:30 and 4:45 am
Earthquake
The earthquake was associated with
Magnitude
This earthquake is larger than the magnitude 7.5 1812 Caracas earthquake, but was far less destructive. With a magnitude of 7.7 on the surface wave and moment magnitude scales, it is the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in Venezuela.[7] The National Geophysical Data Center catalog lists this earthquake as having a surface wave magnitude of 8.4 while a 1983 catalog placed that figure at 7.7.[2][8] Charles Francis Richter also assigned the earthquake at Ms 8.4 in his 1958 book Elementary seismology.[9][10] In a 1992 catalog and 2020 study, this event was assigned Mw 7.6.[11]
Aftershocks
More than 250 aftershocks were recorded in the months following the main event. The aftershocks were disruptive to the local population. An aftershock is claimed to have woken then President of Venezuela Cipriano Castro in the middle of the night. Frightened by the tremors, he leaped off one of the windows of the Yellow House and suffered a broken ankle.[12]
Impact
With an epicenter in the
Large
Iglesia de San Francisco, a church in Caracas, was severely damaged. Another church in Naiguatá was completely destroyed. In Macuto, landslides buried or destroyed railway lines serving the cities Caracas and La Guaira. Guatire saw 237 homes, a parish church, government house, and court offices damaged or collapsed.[12] In Guarenas, some 72 homes toppled.[14]
The total death toll from the earthquake is estimated to be over 140.[4] At least 50 people were injured.
Effects on landscape and hydrological features
At a seaside port in Barcelona named El Rincón, built on
Along the Unare River in Anzoátegui, portions of its bank slumped into the water. Large and deep fissures opened, ejecting mud and water. Seiches formed along the river, causing water to breach the channel by seven meters. A man was caught in the waves when he was taking a bath but managed to escape.[13]
In Carenero, Miranda, the ground sprouted black water that smelled of sulfur. Liquefaction caused several homes and other buildings to sink partially.[13]
Hot springs located near
Residents living around Lake Tacarigua also described violent seiches in the lake as well as loud noises compared to that of a sea. They added that large flames and fire shot out of the ground near the lake shores.[13]
A 100-meter wide landslide buried and sealed off a section of the Caracas-La Guaira highway between Guaracarumbo and Ojo de Agua.[13]
Tsunami
A tsunami flooded the low-lying near shore zones of northern Venezuela. Waves swept into the Los Roques archipelago and north-central Venezuelan coasts. It manifested in the form of tidal bores at the mouth of the Neverí River which resulted in the rise in water level. The tsunami is estimated to be 1–meter high.[13] Witnesses at the coast at the mouth of the Guapo River in Puerto Tuy, Miranda reported seeing large waves up to 10 meters high, although this claim is disputed. Because the earthquake struck in complete darkness, before sunrise, it is unlikely the eyewitnesses could have a clear view of the wave. In addition, it is nearly impossible for them to survive being struck by the 10-meter tsunami. The small village of Paparo was partially submerged by the waves. A better estimate of the maximum tsunami wave height is 5 meters at Barlovento.[3] The tsunami may have been generated by a submarine landslide or significant vertical slip mechanism associated with faulting.
Legacy
The earthquake of 1900 was a catalyst in expanding research in seismology in Venezuela due to its size and being one of the last great historical earthquakes at the time. The first seismic instruments were brought into the country in the aftermath of the earthquake and installed at the Cagigal Observatory in November 1900 to early 1901.[12][15]
See also
References
- S2CID 222118329. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ a b c "Significant Earthquake Information". NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ doi:10.4401/ag-7437. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ a b Ferrer D., Cluff L. (1969). "Caracas, Venezuela earthquake of July 29, 1967" (PDF). Soil Engineering and Engineering Geology Observations. Proceedings of the 4th world conference on earthquake engineering. Santiago, Chile. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ José Grases; Arnaldo Gutiérrez; Rafael Salas J. "LA INGENIERÍA SISMO-RESISTENTE" (PDF). p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ "Tragedia de San Narciso. Terremoto de Caracas ocurrido en el año de 1900" (in Spanish). Radiorescate. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ ISSN 0264-8172.
- . Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ Charles Francis Richter (1958). Elementary seismology (1 ed.). WH Freeman & Co. p. 768.
- .
- S2CID 132108756. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ a b c "El movimiento telúrico tuvo una magnitud de 8,0". www.funvisis.gob.ve (in Spanish). Venezuelan Foundation for Seismological Research. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ ISSN 2443-4477. Retrieved 12 June 2021.)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Liendo, Daniel (2019). "A 119 años del Sismo de San Narciso el Gobierno Bolivariano promueve una cultura sísmica en comunidades y escuelas". minci.gob.ve (in Spanish). Ministry of Communication and Information. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- doi:10.4401/ag-3312. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
External links
- The International Seismological Centre has a 16957719 bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.