A destructive earthquake affected present-day northwestern Syria and south-central Turkey in January 1344. Estimates of the seismic magnitude (Mw ) range between 6.8 and 7.6.[1] The MSK 64 intensity was VII–VIII at Manbij; VI–VII at Aleppo and IV at Damascus. Thousands died in Syria and many structures were destroyed.[2]
  | |
| Local date | January 1344 |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | Mw 6.8–7.6 |
| Epicenter | 36°31′37″N 37°57′22″E / 36.527°N 37.956°E |
| Max. intensity | MSK-64 VIII (Damaging) |
| Casualties | 5,700 fatalities |
The Aleppo area was devastated; most of Manbij was destroyed and majority of the population were killed by falling debris. A castle in the city was damaged and deaths occurred. The towers of citadel, mosques, monuments and walls collapsed. The death toll figure of 5,700 first appeared on a parametric earthquake catalog published in 1980. Heavy damage extended as far north as Gaziantep. Shaking was felt in Egypt. At Damascus, effects of the earthquake was slight. There were no documentation of damage at Antioch. Weak aftershocks occurred. Residents of Aleppo sought refuge away from the city for 40 days in fear of additional damage.[3]
The exact date of the event varies between 2 or 3 January 1344. It was also dated to 1 January 1343.[2]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Sesetyan, K.; Stucchi, M.; Castelli, V.; Gomez Capera, A.A. (16 February 2023). Kahramanmaraş - Gaziantep Türkiye M7.7 Earthquake, 6 February 2023 (04:17 GMT+03:00) Large historical earthquakes of the earthquake-affected region: a preliminary report (PDF) (Report). Boğaziçi University. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ a b Sbeinati, Mohamed Reda; Darawcheh, Ryad; Mouty, Mikhail (2005). "The historical earthquakes of Syria: an analysis of large and moderate earthquakes from 1365 B.C. to 1900 A.D." (PDF). Annals of Geophysics. 48 (3): 374–375.
- ^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (1972). "Significant Earthquake Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
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