Iberianature » Iberian earthquakes

Deadly earthquake hits Lorca, Murcia

nick — Wed, 11 May 2011 20:23:35 +0000

Rather sad news, Two earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.1 and 4.5 have hit the centre of the Murcian town of Lorca, killing at least ten people, after several buildings collapsed. Although minor tremors are relatively common in south-east Spain, this the first time since 1956 that so many people have been killed. Almost 200 soldiers have been dispatched to the area.

El País
BBC
More on the history of earthquakes in Spain

Earthquakes in the Iberian Peninsula

nick — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:08:51 +0000

I came acrosss this interesting map from the Instituto Geográfico Nacional of earthquakes in the Iberian Peninsula in the last ten days equal to above 1.5. As the image is a feed, what you’re seeing is updated (every day I think). Click here for a list of earthquakes with details of location and intensity. More on earthquakes in Spain

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake

nick — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:48:07 +0000

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake took place on 1st November 1755. Estimated by modern geologists as approaching magnitude 9 on the Richter Scale, it is one of the most destructive and deadly earthquakes in history, possibly killing between 60,000 and 100,000 people. Another 10 000 were killed in Morocco, along with large numbers living on the coast of Andalucia. The quake was followed by a tsunami which rushed up engulfed the harbour and rushed up the Tagus and a fire, resulting in the almost-total destruction of Lisbon and profoundly disrupting the country’s eighteenth-century colonial ambitions.

The event was widely discussed by European Enlightenment philosophers, and inspired major developments in thinking, and also signalled the birth of modern seismology.

Lisbon in flames with a tsunami overwhelming the ships in the harbor (1755 engraving)

1755 Lisbon earthquake

1755 German copperplate image, “The Ruins of Lisbon. Survivors camp in a (rather fanciful) tent city outside the city of Lisbon, following the November 1, 1755 earthquake. The image shows criminal activity and general mayhem, as well as the hanging of quake survivors under constabulary supervision. Priests are present, one holding a crucifix, one possibly a prayer book, so appear to be giving last rites to persons being hanged. ” Wikipedia

Tsunamis in Iberia

nick — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 15:00:37 +0000

I put together this short piece on Tsunamis in Portugal and Spain