This Day in History March 25, 2002

I know earthquakes have become almost commonplace in this day and age, but we often forget about the impact of such quakes.  On this date in 2002, the second of two powerful quakes hit Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan.  The first had hit on March 3, and the 7.4 magnitude killed about 166 people.  The 6.1 magnitude quake that hit on this date killed 1,000 people.  The town of Nahrin sustained some of the worst damage.

For more info:
http://www.brainyhistory.com/days/march_25.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Hindu_Kush_earthquakes
http://asc-india.org/lib/20020325-nahrin.htm
http://www.iris.washington.edu/news/events/afghanistan/afghan032002.htm

This Day in History December 27, 1939

On this date in 1939, a horrible earthquake hit the province of Erzincan in eastern Turkey.  It happened at 1:57 A.M., and there were a total of seven shocks--one measured 7.8-8.  This was the most powerful earthquake in recent history.  At first, only 8000 were reported dead, but by the next day, 20,000 were reported dead.  By January 15, 33,000 were dead.  Some of that was due to blizzards and high rains and floods.

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_Erzincan_earthquake
http://mceer.buffalo.edu/infoservice/Reference_Services/turkey-major-earthquakes.asp

This Day in History November 25, 1759

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It never ceases to me amaze me how many things happened on any given day in history, and in today's society, it is easier than ever to find information (and misinformation).  On this day in 1759, there was a  natural disaster that occurred that obliterated a good portion of Beirut and Damascus.  This earthquake was unlike what I have heard before because it came in two waves nearly a month apart.  I am used to hearing about aftershocks that occur within in hours and days.  But here's how this one went.

On October 30, 1759, the first (and lighter) of the quakes occurred.  Two thousand people died in Safed and other areas (this is in modern-day Israel area).  It registered about 6.6 on the Richter scale.  This was bad, but not as bad as what came later.

On November 25, 1759, the second and most devastating of the quakes came.  It was 7.4 on the Richter scale, and it lasted twice as long as the one less than a month before.  There were several aftershocks, and these continued even a month or two later.  It is estimated that the entire set of earthquakes could have claimed as much as 20,000 lives.  While we don't have all the best records of everything in this area, we do know that the damage in Damascus and Beirut was significant.

For more information:
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004AGUFM.T41F1294D
http://www.ipgp.fr/~klinger/page_web/biblio/publication/Daeron_geology05.pdf
http://www.earth-prints.org/bitstream/2122/908/1/01Sbeinati.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_East_earthquake_of_1759

This Day in History October 8, 2005

By Timothy Smith, U.S. Navy (http://www.navy.mil; VIRIN: 051013-N-8796S-110) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

On this date in 2005, a 7.6 scale earthquake occurred.  It was centered in Kashmir, and Pakistan sustained the most casualties and damage.  The official death toll for Pakistan was 75,000.  More than twenty aftershocks ravaged the area for some time after the initial quake.  The quake was also responsible for many landslides that furthered hampered aid efforts.  Much of the damage and casualties occurred in villages where there was a plethora of unenforced stone masonry buildings that whose building quality were  quite poor and not able to withstand the earth's movement.

For more information, please check out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Kashmir_earthquake

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~ayhan/EQ/2005%2010%2008%20Kashmir/kashmir_eeri_1st_report.pdf

http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Earthquake2005Pakistan.html

This Day in History April 18, 1906

Well, another disaster to report on this day's feature.  It was on this date in 1906 that San Francisco experienced a devastating earthquake.  This was such a massive earthquake that it was felt thousands of miles away at Cape Town, South Africa!

As horrific as the earthquake was, the fire that engulfed the city for four days later was even worse.  Initially, the government reportedly said there were 375 deaths because they did not want to let everyone know how bad things were.  It would be bad for business and real estate after all.  It would appear that at least 3000 were killed--Chinatown casualties were ignored completely.  Some sources say 700.  Anyway, it was pretty devastating. Possibly 300,000 people were left homeless, and the cost in damages was over 500 million.  Remember, this was the early 1900's!  Multiply that cost several times over.

San Francisco did recover in the ensuing years in spite of the devastation.  As we know, earthquakes are always a danger in this part of the country.  And while we know more than we did over 100 years ago, earthquakes are still devastating!

For more information, please check out:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/san-francisco-earthquake
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_San_Francisco_earthquake
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/18april/index.php

This Day in History March 26, 1872

Have you ever heard of the devastating earthquake that rocked Owens Valley, California?  I have to admit that I had not.  It was on this date in 1872 that an earthquake was felt from Mexico to Oregon, and 30 people were killed as a result.

More thank likely you have heard of the San Andreas Fault in California, and at 2:30 A.M. that morning, the majority of the people in Lone Pine, California were asleep.  Fifty-two of the fifty-nine homes were destroyed, and 27 people were killed.  The ground moved a full seven feet.  The estimated magnitude was 7.8.

People as far away as Tijuana, Mexico, San Diego, and Nevada.  One of the most famous accounts of the earthquake came from John Muir who was instrumental in the establishment of Yosemite National Park.
He saw the destruction of the natural landmark Eagle Rock. You can read his account by visiting this site

.When traveling U.S. 395 through Lone Pine, you can also see the above monument which is a grave for the casualties of this quake.

For more information, please check out these other sites as well:
http://therealdesertdogs.com/blog/1872-earthquake-victims/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1872_03_26.php