1902 Turkestan earthquake
UTC time | 1902-08-22 03:00:22 |
---|---|
ISC event | 16957769 |
Local date | August 22, 1902 |
Magnitude | 7.7 Mw |
Depth | 18.0 km (11.2 mi) |
Epicenter | 39°52′N 76°25′E / 39.87°N 76.42°E |
Type | Thrust |
Areas affected | China & Kyrgyzstan |
Max. intensity | X (Extremely high intensity tremor) |
Aftershocks | Many. Largest was a Ms 6.8–7.3 |
Casualties | 5,650–10,000 dead |
The 1902 Turkestan earthquake (also known as the Artush or Kashgar earthquake) devastated
The Tien Shan mountains is situated in a zone of complex convergence caused by the Indian–Eurasian plate interaction. This zone is actively deforming—accommodated by active thrust faults responsible for seismic activity. The mainshock was preceded by an intense series of foreshocks in the years prior. Many aftershocks followed, several were larger than magnitude 6.0 and the largest measured 6.8–7.3. Aftershocks were recorded for three years. Additional shocks were recorded over a decade after the mainshock.
An estimated 5,650–10,000 people were killed in the mainshock. Widespread destruction occurred—at least 30,000 homes were destroyed. Shaking was felt across an area of 927,000 km2 (358,000 sq mi). The effects of the earthquake led government officials to relieve victims of taxes and provide compensation.
Tectonic setting
The
Earthquake
The mainshock was recorded on
Characteristics
Scientific knowledge of the earthquake was limited due to the period when it happened. Academic research into the event spanned nearly 40 years, but due to the inaccessible location, understanding its characteristics was a challenge.
The Ttiotegongbaizi–Aerpaleike Fault (TAF) located at the southern flanks of the
Also proposed was a steep-dipping left-lateral strike-slip boundary fault inferred to be the source. The proposed fault marks the boundary between the southwestern
Scientists also proposed that the earthquake was the result of two thrust faults rupturing in succession of each other. Two sub-parallel surface ruptures trending north–northeast were identified and attributed to the earthquake. These surface ruptures were identified via field studies,
Effects
The earthquake was felt strongly across Central Asia for 927,000 km2 (358,000 sq mi), extending from south of
Foreshocks
Seismicity in the area prior to the mainshock had been relatively high. Multiple earthquakes of ~Ms 6.0 occurred, however, a large 650 km (400 mi) seismic gap existed. Historical records of earthquakes date back up to 10 years before 1902. In 1892, an Ms 6.3 event struck southeast of the 1902 mainshock. After a Ms 7.5 earthquake struck Tashkorgan in 1895, seismicity progressed north towards Atushi. The city was affected by a destructive earthquake (Ms 6.0+) once every year from 1896 to 1898. This high rate of seismicity ceased from 1899 and leading to the mainshock. Between 10 and 20 days before the mainshock, an estimated magnitude 3.1 tremor was recorded at Upal.[21][19][12][20][22]
Aftershocks
Severe aftershocks were felt every day up till August 30.[6] There were at least 16 aftershocks with a recorded magnitude of 4.7 or greater from 1902 to 1926—eight were recorded within a month after the mainshock. The first recorded aftershock measuring Ms 6.1 occurred at 23:00 on August 22. Several aftershocks registered magnitude 6.0 or greater in the following years.[10] A Ms 6.8 or 7.3 aftershock occurred on August 30 with an epicenter 70 km (43 mi) from that of the mainshock.[23] By December 19, eight aftershocks were recorded with Ms between 5.7 and 6.4. There were few aftershocks recorded in 1905—possibly because earthquakes during this period went unrecorded. Strong earthquakes continued to rock the mainshock area for years—a Ms 5.8 in 1916, Ms 6.5 in 1919, and two Ms 5.0+ in 1920. The Tien Shan mountains was also the site of earthquakes in December 1906 and January 1911.[12][19][20]
Precursor activity
There were unusual noises, peculiar animal behaviors, lights and a change in the weather prior to the mainshock. In Ahu, two hours before the earthquake, cattle, horses, chickens, dogs, cats and other livestock made unusual sounds. In areas which would eventually experience intense (VIII–IX) shaking, animals ran, flew or barked. Loud sounds emitted from the ground and was heard in
Impact
The earthquake produced strong shaking for 1.5 minutes.[6] Between 5,650 and 10,000 people were killed[24] and more than 30,000 homes collapsed.[25] An additional 600 livestock including sheep, cattle, camels, and donkeys died.[25] In Ahu, all houses with the exception of one located on bedrock collapsed. More than 300 were killed in the township—about 20 percent of its population. The earthquake triggered massive landslides with an estimated volume exceeding 200,000 m3 (7,100,000 cu ft).[26][19][12]
In the meizoseismal area, trees swayed in a forceful manner such that their tips touched the ground. Some trees were uprooted or snapped. Many tents were affected. Ground slumping near a riverbank blocked roads and dammed streams. Water gushed out from many of the large fissures. The largest fissure measured 1 km (0.62 mi) long, several meters wide, and 3 m (9.8 ft) deep. Five hundred people died in the area. Many domesticated animals were also killed. Old springs dried up while new ones formed.[27]
In Kashgar, sun-dried brick walls and homes collapsed. Masonry buildings did not sustain serious damage.[6] Numerous fissures opened in the northern entrance of the city, where the city walls had toppled. Several historical monuments including the Xiangfei Tomb partially collapsed and fractured.[27] At least 667 people died and thousands more were injured in Kashgar.[6][28] In Artux, north of Kashgar, the earthquake collapsed nearly every home. Between 5,000 and 6,000 were killed in Artux. The Artux Grand Mosque, the first of its kind in Xinjiang, toppled. Up to half its city walls fell. At least 400 people perished in the village of Astyn, while in Jangi, 20 were killed.[29] In Yarkand, damage was lighter but two children died from toppled walls. Damage was reported in Naryn and At-Bashy but there were no fatalities.[6]
Valleys collapsed and many river channels were blocked, creating waterfalls and new springs. Most earth-constructed homes were destroyed in Songtak, and more than 50 people were killed. At Üstün Atux, 90 percent of its housing stock were destroyed. Several people died in Halajun. Forty deaths were recorded in Upal and the township lost 20 percent of its homes. A death toll exceeding 30 was recorded at Baykurut.[19]
Aftermath
Some villages spent four days burying dead bodies in the wake of the disaster. The
See also
References
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- ^ a b Fu, Ninomiya & Guo 2010.
- ^ a b Bullen et al. 2001.
- ^ Jepson, Collins & Gillespie 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Kulikova & Krüger 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Oldham 1902.
- ^ British Association for the Advancement of Science 1903, p. 59.
- ^ Gutenberg 1956.
- ^ Avouac et al. 1993.
- ^ a b c Kulikova 2016.
- ^ Xiangmin 1994.
- ^ a b c d e f Zengjian & Zongjin 1988, p. 143–170.
- ^ a b c Chen et al. 2022.
- ^ Zhao, Li & Shen 2000.
- ^ Li, Ran & Gomez 2020.
- ^ He, Zheng & Shan 2001.
- ^ Jacob 2008.
- ^ Lauterbach et al. 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Ren 2002, p. 157–205.
- ^ a b c d Guoying, Xiaohong & Aiguo 2011.
- ^ Weihua et al. 2018.
- ^ Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu Seismological Bureau 1985, p. 208–209.
- U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the originalon 30 May 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Utsu n.d.
- ^ a b "Earthquake Ruins in Atushi (1902)". Chinese Academy of Sciences. kepu.net.cn. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ Junyuan 1996, p. 117–120.
- ^ doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K, archivedfrom the original on 2021-07-17, retrieved 2021-03-17
- ^ Wines 2009.
- ^ "Terrible earthquake in Turkestan". Manawatū Standard. Vol. XL, no. 7454. 20 Nov 1902. p. 2. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 4 Feb 2021.
- ^ Aniwal & Kurban 2015.
Sources
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- Avouac, J. P.; Tapponnier, P.; Bai, M.; You, H.; Wang, G. (1993). "Active Thrusting and Folding Along the Northern Tien Shan and Late Cenozoic Rotation of the Tarim relative to Dzungaria and Kazakhstan" (PDF). Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 98 (B4): 6755–6804. (PDF) from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
- Kulikova, G. (2016). Source parameters of the major historical earthquakes in the Tien-Shan region from the late 19th to the early 20th century (PDF) (Dr. rer. nat. thesis). University of Potsdam. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
- Xiangmin, Z. (1994). "1902年与1906年两次新疆强震震级" [The magnitude of two strong earthquakes in Xinjiang in 1902 and 1906]. 地震地磁观测与研究: 16–21.
- Chen, Q.; Fu, B.; Shi, P.; Li, Z. (2022). Livio, F.; Ferrario, M. F. (eds.). "Surface Deformation Associated with the 22 August 1902 Mw 7.7 Atushi Earthquake in the Southwestern Tian Shan, Revealed from Multiple Remote Sensing Data". Remote Sensing. 14 (7). .
- Kulikova, G.; Krüger, F. (2017). "Historical seismogram reproductions for the source parameters determination of the 1902, Atushi (Kashgar) earthquake". Journal of Seismology. 21 (6): 1577–1597. from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
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- Li, A.; Ran, Y.; Gomez, F. (2020). "Segmentation of the Kepingtage thrust fault based on paleoearthquake ruptures, southwestern Tianshan, China". Natural Hazards. 103 (1): 1385–1406. .
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- Lauterbach, S.; Mingram, J.; Schettler, G.; Orunbaev, S. (2019). "Two twentieth-century MLH = 7.5 earthquakes recorded in annually laminated lake sediments from Sary Chelek, western Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan". Quaternary Research. 92 (2): 288–303. .
- Guoying, G.; Xiaohong, N.; Aiguo, X. (2011). "1902年阿图什81/4级地震前后地震活动特征" [Characteristics of Seismic Activity Before and After the 1902 Atushi M8 1/4 Earthquake]. 内陆地震. 25 (2): 120–128. .
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- Junyuan, D. (1996). 阿图什市志 [Autushi City Chronicle] (in Chinese). Xinjiang University Press. ISBN 7-5631-0771-1.
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- Bullen, M.E.; Burbank, D.W.; Garver, J.I.; Abdrakhmatov, K.Ye. (2001). "Late Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the northwestern Tien Shan: New age estimates for the initiation of mountain building" (PDF). GSA Bulletin. 113 (12): 1544–1559. (PDF) from the original on 2022-08-27. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
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- Krüger, Frank; Kulikova, Galina; Landgraf, Angela (2018). "Magnitudes for the historical 1885 (Belovodskoe), the 1887 (Verny) and the 1889 (Chilik) earthquakes in Central Asia determined from magnetogram recordings". Geophysical Journal International. 215 (3): 1824–1840. .
External links
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.
- U.S. Geological Survey event page