Historical Review Of Notable Earthquakes in the Mediterranean Region

EARTHQUAKE DISASTERS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION THE SEISMICITY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED FOR OVER 2000 YEARS MANY IMPORTANT CITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST HAVE BEEN DESTROYED BY EARTHQUAKES AND SOMETIMES TSUNAMIS

TECTONICS

2150 BC EARTHQUAKE EVENT 2150 BC CONSEQUENCES SODOM AND GOMORRAH DESTROYED

525 BC EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI EVENT 525 BC COASTAL LEBANON CONSEQUENCES TYRE DESTROYED BY TSUNAMI

140 BC EARTHQUAKE EVENT 140 BC COASTAL LEBANON CONSEQUENCES TSUNAMI STRIKES TYRE

31 BC EARTHQUAKE EVENT 31 BC AT LEAST MAGNITUDE 7 JORDAN VALLEY CONSEQUENCES ONE OF THE LARGEST SHOCKS IN 2000 YEARS

DECEMBER 3M 115 AD EARTHQUAKE EVENT DECEMBER 3, 115 AD LEVANTINE COAST CONSEQUENCES ANTIOCH DEVASTATED

306 AD EARTHQUAKE EVENT 306 AD LEVANTINE COAST CONSEQUENCES TSUNAMI

349 AD EARTHQUAKE EVENT 349 AD COASTAL LEBANON CONSEQUENCES MOST OF BEIRUT DESTROYED

AUGUST 21-22, 502 AD EARTHQUAKES EVENT AUGUST 21-22, 502 AD COASTAL LEBANON CONSEQUENCES DAMAGE FROM TYRE TO ALEPPO

JULY 6, 551 EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI EVENT JULY 6, 551 AD COASTAL LEBANON MAY BE LARGEST MAGNITUDE EVENT IN LEVANT CONSEQUENCES TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF BEIRUT AND A LARGE AREA TSUNAMI TECTONIC DEFORMATION

JUNE 658 AD EARTHQUAKE EVENT JUNE 658 AD SYRIA-PALESTINE CONSEQUENCES DEVASTATION EVERYWHERE

JANUARY 18, 746 AD EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI EVENT JANUARY 18, 746 AD M7.3 JORDAN VALLEY CONSEQUENCES HEAVY DAMAGE IN VALLEY TSUNAMI

OCTOBER 881 AD EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI EVENT OCTOBER 881 AD LEVANTINE COAST CONSEQUENCES TSUNAMI AT ACRE

MAY 1053 AD EARTHQUAKE EVENT MAY 1063 AD COASTAL LEBANON CONSEQUENCES ARQA DESTROYED AND ABANDONED

AUGUST 15, 1157 EARTHQUAKE EVENT AUGUST 15, 1157 MAGNITUDE 7 PLUS BEKAA VALLEY CONSEQUENCES DEAD SEA RIFT ZONE DAMASCUS DESTROYED

JUNE 29, 1170 EARTHQUAKE EVENT JUNE 29, 1170 AD MAGNITUDE 7 PLUS BEKAA VALLEY CONSEQUENCES DEAD SEA RIFT ZONE

JUNE-JULY 1201 EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS EVENT JUNE AND JULY, 1201 LEVANTIAN COAST CONSEQUENCES SEISMIC SWARM DESTRUCTION IN CYRPRUS, SYRIA, AND PALESTINE TSUNAMIS

MAY 20, 1202 EARTHQUAKE EVENT MAY 20, 1202 MAGNITUDE 7.5 BEKAA VALLEY CONSEQUENCES DEAD SEA RIFT ZONE TRIPOLI, HOMS, AND BA’ALBEK DESTROYED

AUGUST 8, 1303 EARTHQUAKE EVENT AUGUST 8, 1303 EGYPT CONSEQUENCES DAMAGE IN CAIRO AND ALEXANDRIA

DECEMBER 1403 - JANUARY 1404 EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS EVENT DECEMBER 1403-JANUARY 1404 LEVANTINE COAST CONSEQUENCES TSUNAMI

SEPTEMBER 19, 1509 EARTHQUAKES EVENT SEPTEMBER 10, 1509 MARMARA SEA CONSEQUENCES ISTANBUL DESTROYED

JULY 21, 1752 EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI EVENT JULY 21, 1752 LEVANTINE COAST CONSEQUENCES TSUNAMIS

NOVEMBER 25, 1759 BEKAA VALLEY EARTHQUAKE EVENT NOVEMBER 25, 1759 MAGNITUDE 7.4 BEKAA VALLEY CONSEQUENCES DEAD SEA RIFT ZONE BEIRUT AND DAMASCUS DEVASTATED 30,000 DEAD

AUGUST 13, 1882 EARTHQUAKE EVENT AUGUST 13, 1822 ALEPPO, SYRIA CONSEQUENCES 20,000 KILLED 17,000 HOUSES DESTROYED

JANUARY 1, 1837 EARTHQUAKE EVENT JANUARY 1, 1837 TIBNIN, JORDAN CONSEQUENCES 4,000 KILLED

DECEMBER 12, 1856 EARTHQUAKE EVENT DECEMBER 12, 1856 JORDAN VALLEY CONSEQUENCES TIBERIAS DESTROYED TSUNAMIS

JULY 11, 1927 EARTHQUAKE EVENT JULY 11, 1927 MAGNITUDE 7.2 JORDAN VALLEY CONSEQUENCES JERUSALEM AND AMMAN DAMAGED 340 DEAD MANY HOUSES DAMAGED

DECEMBER 26, 1939 ERZINCAN-REFAHIYE EARTHQUAKE EVENT DECEMBER 26, 1939 MAGNITUDE 8 MANY AFTERSHOCKS ERZINCAN-REFAHIYE, TURKEY CONSEQUENCES NORTH ANATOLIAN FAULT ZONE 43,000 KILLED 76,000 INJURED 200,000 HOUSES DESTROYED

MARCH 6, 1952 EARTHQUAKE EVENT MARCH 16, 1952 MAGNITUDE 6 COASTAL LEBANON, 50 KM SOUTH OF BEIRUT CONSEQUENCES 136 DEAD 6.000 HOUSES DESTROYED

OCTOBER 10, 1980 EL ASNAM EARTHQUAQKE EL ASNAM, ALGERIA EARTHQUAKE OCTOBER 10, 1980 2,500 DEATHS 300,000 HOMELESS > $ 4 BILLION IN LOSSES (10 % OF ALGERIA’S GDP)

NOVEMBER 23, 1980 IRPINIA, ITALY EARTHQUAKE EVENT NOVEMBER 23, 1980 MAGNITUDE 6.9 IRPINIA-BASILICATA, ITALY CONSEQUENCES 2,914 KILLED AND 10,000 INJURED 300,000 HOMELESS AND DISPLACED AN ESTIMATED $50 BILLION IN LOSSES

DECEMBER 13, 1982 DAHMAR EARTHQUAKE EVENT DECEMBER 13, 1982 MAGNITUDE 6 DAHMAR, YEMEN CONSEQUENCES 15,000 KILLED OR INJURED 500,000 HOMELESS AND DISPLACED

MARCH 13, 1992 ERZINCAN EARTHQUAKE EVENT MARCH 13, 1992 MAGNITUDE 7.1 ERZINCAN, TURKEY CONSEQUENCES NORTH ANATOLIAN FAULT ZONE 653 DEAD 3,850 INJURED 50,000 HOMELESS

OCTOBER 12, 1992 DAHSHOUR EARTHQUAKE EVENT OCTOBER 12, 1992 MAGNITUDE 5.9 DAHSHOUR, EGYPT CONSEQUENCES 7,000 KILLED OR INJURED 1,000 SCHOOLS DAMAGED

NOVEMBER 23, 1995 GULF OF AQABA EVENT NOVEMBER 23, 1995 MAGNITUDE 7.5 GULF OF AQABA CONSEQUENCS DAMAGE TO BUILDNGS IN BORDER REGIONS OF JORDAN, EGYPT, ISRAEL, AND SAUDI ARABIA CONSIDERED A “WAKE UP CALL”

AUGUST 17, 1999 KOCAELI EARTHQUAKE CONSEQUENCES NORTH ANATOLIAN FAULT ZONE 17,127 KILLED 43,953 INJURED 250,000 HOMELESS ECONOMIC LOSSES IN BILLIONS EVENT 3:02 AM AUGUST 17, 1999 MAGNITUDE 7.4 KOCAELI, TURKEY INDUSTRIAL HEARTLAND AND 12,500 SQUARE KM IMPACTED

KOCAELI EARTHQUAKE INDUSTRIAL HEARTLAND DEVASTATED OIL REFINERY AUTO PLANT 30,500 BUSINESSES AFFECTED ECONOMIC LOSSES IN THE BILLIONS

NOVEMBER 12, 1999 DUZCE EARTHQUAKE EVENT 6:57 PM NOVEMBER 12, 1999 MAGNITUDE 7.2 DUZCE, TURKEY, 185 KM EAST OF ISTANBUL CONSEQUENCES NORTH ANATOLIAN FAULT ZONE 500 DEAD 3,000 INJURED TRANS-EUROPEAN MOTORWAY DAMAGED

MAY 21, 2003 BOUMERDES, ALGERIA EARTHQUAKE EVENT 7:45 PM MAY 21, 2003 MAGNITUDE 6.8 BOUMERDES PROVINCE, ALGERIA, 60 KM FROM ALGIERS CONSEQUENCES AFRICA-EURASIA PLATE COLLISION; ZEMMOURI FAULT 2,266 DEAD; 10,261 INJURED 1,241 BUILDINGS DAMAGED ; 150,000 HOMELESS

BOUMERDES EARTHQUAKE

BAM, IRAN EARTHQUAKE 2003 M6/6 OVER 31,000 DEAD

CITADEL OF BAM, IRAN: BEFORE EARTHQUAKE:

CITADEL OF BAM, IRAN: AFTER EARTHQUAKE:

APRIL 6, 2009 L’AQUILLA (ABRUZZO) EARTHQUAKE EVENT 3:30 AM APRIL 6, 2009 MAGNITUDE 6.3 L’AQUILLA, ITALY, 70 KM FROM ROME CONSEQUENCES NORMAL FAULT SYSTEM 300 DEAD AN ESTIMATED 11,000 BUILDINGS DAMAGED

LOCATION MAP

DAMAGE: VILLAGE OF ONNA

TWIN MODERATE-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKES STRIKE IRAN SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

Iran has many well-known seismically active faults, which have generated devastating earthquakes in recent years, including a M6.6 earthquake in 2003 that destroyed the city of Bam and killed more than 31,000 people

THE EARTHQUAKES (Source: US Geological Survey) Saturday's first quake of M6.4 and a depth of 9.9 km (6.2 miles) struck just before 5 pm 60 km (37 miles) northeast of the city of Tabriz. Saturday’s second quake of M6.3 at a similar depth struck 49 km (30 miles) northeast of Tabriz 11 minutes later.

The earthquakes struck in East Azerbaijan province, a mountainous region that neighbors Azerbaijan and Armenia to the north and is predominantly populated by ethnic Azeris, a minority group.

INITIAL IMPACTS Over 1,000 villages were affected, with over 5,000 buildings in 100 villages partially or totally destroyed as concrete-block and mud-brick buildings collapsed. At least 20 villages could not be reached because of impassable roads. People in some villages were in dire need of food and drinking water.

VARZAGHAN: DAMAGE

INITIAL IMPACTS Over 300 dead (more likely), with over 60 percent being women and children, partly due to the time of day (5 PM) that the quake struck. Over 1,800 injured.

INITIAL IMPACTS (continued) 36,000 people in the quake-hit area were provided with emergency shelter. Many slept on the street and in parks. A field hospital set up in Varzaghan on Sunday to treat the injured was staffed by just two doctors, but ,with shortages of medical supplies and food, was hard pressed to meet the urgent needs.

INITIAL IMPACTS (continued) Hospitals Hospitals in Tabriz (49 km distance) treated many of the injured from the surrounding villages. Water, electricity, and phone lines in the Varzaghan area were all down, further hindering rescue efforts Preliminary loss estimate: $650 million USD