551 Beirut earthquake
Local date | 9 July 551 |
---|---|
Magnitude | 7.5 Mw |
Epicenter | 33°54′N 35°30′E / 33.9°N 35.5°E |
Areas affected | Phoenice (Roman province), Byzantine Empire (now Lebanon) |
Max. intensity | MMI X (Extreme) |
Tsunami | yes |
Casualties | above 30,000 |
The 551 Beirut earthquake occurred on 9 July with an estimated magnitude of about 7.5 on the
Tectonic setting
What is now Lebanon lies astride the Dead Sea Transform, which forms part of the boundary between the Arabian Plate and the African Plate. In Lebanon the fault zone forms a restraining bend associated with a right stepping offset of the fault trace. Transpressional deformation associated with this bend has formed a number of thrust faults, such as the recently identified Mount Lebanon thrust, which underlies the city and is interpreted to crop out at the seabed offshore.[2]
Damage
There is little in the way of detailed descriptions of the damage caused by this earthquake in contemporary accounts. Sources refer to the coastal cities from Tyre to Tripoli being reduced to ruins with many thousands of casualties.[1] The Anonymous pilgrim of Piacenza reported that 30,000 people died in Beirut alone.[1] Reports of damage at Petra and other locations in the Jordan Valley associated with the 551 event have been re-analyzed, suggesting that a later earthquake was more likely to be responsible.[3]
Characteristics
Earthquake
The earthquake was felt over a wide area from
Tsunami
The tsunami affected the whole of the coast from Tyre to Tripoli. Withdrawal of the sea by up to two miles was recorded in some contemporary accounts.[1]
Future seismic hazard
The estimated return time for large earthquakes on the Mount Lebanon thrust is 1500–1750 years, although a shorter return time is also possible depending on the dating of the most recent sea-level highstand. This latter possibility would indicate that a repeat of this event may be long overdue.[2]
See also
References
- ^ doi:10.4401/ag-3206.
- ^ S2CID 54934422.
- ISBN 978-0-8137-2471-3. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-521-39120-7.
- S2CID 140571362.