1969 Sharm El Sheikh earthquake
UTC time | 1969-03-31 07:15:52 |
---|---|
ISC event | 811717 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | March 31, 1969 |
Local time | 09:15:52 |
Magnitude | 6.6 Mw [1] |
Depth | 10 km (6 mi) [1] |
Epicenter | 27°35′N 33°54′E / 27.58°N 33.9°E [1] |
Type | Dip-slip (normal) |
Areas affected | Egypt |
Total damage | Severe [2] |
Max. intensity | MMI VII (Very strong) [3] |
Casualties | 2 killed, 15 injured [4] |
The 1969 Sharm El Sheikh earthquake occurred on March 31 off the southern
Tectonic setting
This portion of Egypt is adjacent to the African and Arabian tectonic plates. The Red Sea divides the two and splits, with one branch turning north along the Gulf of Aqaba into the Dead Sea Transform system, and the main trend continuing along the Gulf of Suez. While the earthquake activity in the Gulf of Aqaba is characterized by left-lateral strike-slip faulting, the Gulf of Suez is primarily influenced by extensional tectonics, with increasing extension from north to south.[citation needed]
Earthquake
Although an unrelated earthquake swarm at Gubal island just 25 kilometers (16 mi) north of the epicenter of this event was related to reverse faulting, the focal mechanism of the 1969 shock (and a later M5.5 event in the same area) were normal faulting events with strikes parallel to the Gulf of Suez.[5]
Damage
The shock affected the nearby islands of Tawila and Gubal, knocked people to the ground and caused many rockfalls at Shadwan, but due to the uninhabited nature of the islands, no damage was reported there except some cracking at the base of the Shaker lighthouse. At
Further away from the epicentral area the damage was light to non-existent, though it was felt strongly at the port cities of
Other events
The region near the northern Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez, and the Gulf of Aqaba sees the most seismic activity in Egypt, and the northeastern portion of the country has seen an increase in earthquakes relative to historical times. While the 1969 event was one of the larger events, the M5.8 1992 Cairo earthquake, which struck 25 kilometers (16 mi) southwest of the city in the Dahshour area, was also significant. The M7.3 1995 Gulf of Aqaba earthquake occurred along the Dead Sea Transform system and was the largest event in the 20th century that impacted the region. By comparison, activity near Cairo is not as active, but other smaller events have been reported in the Nile Delta, including small events near Beni Suef in October 1999 and again in November 2006.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ a b c ISC (2017), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2013), Version 4.0, International Seismological Centre
- doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
- ^ Ambraseys, Melville & Adams 2005, p. 129
- ^ a b c Ambraseys, Melville & Adams 2005, pp. 91, 92
- Sources
- ISBN 978-0-521-02025-1
External links
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.