1994 Mascara earthquake

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Coordinates: 35°31′12″N 0°06′22″W / 35.520°N 0.106°W / 35.520; -0.106
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1994 Mascara earthquake
1994 Mascara earthquake is located in Algeria
1994 Mascara earthquake
UTC time1994-08-18 01:13:05
ISC event160696
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateAugust 18, 1994 (1994-08-18)
Local time02:13 WAT
Magnitude5.8 Mw
Depth10.0 km (6.2 mi)
Epicenter35°31′12″N 0°06′22″W / 35.520°N 0.106°W / 35.520; -0.106
Areas affectedAlgeria
Max. intensityMSK-64 VIII (Damaging)
Casualties171 dead, 654 injured

The 1994 Mascara earthquake occurred on August 18 at 02:13 local time with an epicenter in a rural part of Algeria. The earthquake measured 5.8 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) and had a depth of 10 km (6.2 mi).[1] It caused the deaths of 171 people, left up to 12,500 homeless, and destroyed thousands of homes in Mascara Province.[2] Many homes were damaged or destroyed due to poor building quality which collapsed on the inhabitants and resulted in a majority of the casualties. The national government launched a rapid response effort in its aftermath.

Tectonic setting

See also: Geology of Algeria, Geography of Algeria, and Atlas Mountains
Tectonic and seismicity (1900-2016) map of the Mediterranean Sea

convergent plate boundary which separates the African Plate from the Eurasian Plate. The converging plates create a zone of compression in northern Algeria, which are accommodated by mainly thrust and strike-slip faults. Thrusting results in the formation of the Atlas Mountains.[3][4] The tectonic situation of Algeria also makes the country a seismically active region, about 100 minor earthquakes are recorded on seismic instruments every month. Moderate to large earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 6.0 have resulted in human casualties and property damage. Generally, seismicity mainly occur in the Tell Atlas region, and though not as frequent, also occur off its coast. Earthquakes occurring offshore are capable of generating tsunamis, such as that in 1856. Algeria was devastated by earthquakes in 1716, 1790, 1825, 1910, 1954, 1980 and 2003. Earthquakes in the western and central area mostly display thrust mechanism caused by compression in a NNW–SSE direction. In the east, most earthquakes occur due to strike-slip faulting.[5]

Earthquake

Two

surface ruptures were observed but cliff failures and rockfalls were found during a field survey.[6]

An aftershock sequence ensued—17 were recorded with a

local magnitude (ML) of 3.9 or greater. The largest aftershock measuring 5.1 ML  struck 30 minutes after the mainshock. These aftershocks which continued until August 28 also caused additional damage. On August 19, a 4.0 ML aftershock damaged 63 homes at El Keurt, a village unaffected by the mainshock. Another aftershock on August 22 caused four injuries.[6]

Damage

USGS ShakeMap for the earthquake
See also: Earthquake engineering

Many poorly-engineered and satisfactorily built unreinforced masonry buildings did not collapse—this insight led to the mainshock being assigned a maximum seismic intensity of VIII on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale. A total of 2,000 houses, farms and 10 schools were seriously damaged or collapsed. In the villages of Shadlia, Hacine and Sidi Ali Cherif, the earthquake completely destroyed all houses, a total of up to 458 houses; at least 454 homes were half-ruined, with an additional 416 ruined at 10 percent in other villages across Mascara Province.[6] A large number of farms and their facilities were also reduced to rubble. In the city of Oran, 75 km (47 mi) NW of Hacine, some cracks appeared in buildings. The usually clear hot springs at Bou Hanifia became reddish and muddy while its flow temperature increased.[6]

Casualties

The earthquake caused 171 fatalities and left 654 injured; 289 in critical condition; 12,500 people from over 1,300 families were made homeless.[6] The high casualty number was attributed to poor construction practices and building materials of homes. In rural villages, many straw and mud-constructed homes collapsed, killing or injuring their inhabitants in their sleep in the early morning.[7] The village of Shadlia alone accounted for 105 of the 171 fatalities in the earthquake.[6] The remaining survivors have been in the streets all morning fearing that more aftershocks may collapse their already damaged dwellings.[7]

Aftermath

The

UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs provided US$30 thousand in emergency funds.[8] Algerian officials urgently asked for food, dairy and blankets, and said that drinking water may be rapidly exhausted. Soldiers were sent to handle search and rescue efforts.[9] Roads obstructed by rockfalls caused by the earthquake made relief efforts challenging and in some cases, impossible. Villages in the Beni Choughrane mountains were only accessible using military helicopters. Although the post-disaster response was rapid, it would have been more effective had the region prepared and planned for disasters prior to the earthquake. The Algerian Red Crescent established camps to accommodate survivors until prefabricated homes were ready and made an appeal for blood donation.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009), Version 9.1, International Seismological Centre, 27 June 2022
  2. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
  3. ^ a b Ayadi et al. 2002.
  4. ^ Leprêtre et al. 2013.
  5. ^ Yelles-Chaouche & Kherroubi 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Benouar et al. 1994.
  7. ^ a b "Earthquake Strikes Rural Algeria, Killing 150". The New York Times. Associated Press. 19 August 1994. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  8. ^ UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs (18 August 1994). "Algeria - Earthquake Aug 1994 UN DHA Situation Reports 1-4". Relief Web. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Quake kills at least 150 in Algeria, hurts hundreds". The Washington Post. 18 August 1994. Retrieved 13 October 2022.

Sources

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