1929 Cumaná earthquake

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1929 Cumaná earthquake
Terremoto cumana.jpg
1929 Cumaná earthquake is located in Venezuela
1929 Cumaná earthquake
UTC time1929-01-17 11:45:44
ISC event907860
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateJanuary 17, 1929
Local time7:45 VET
Duration30 seconds
Magnitude6.9 Ms
Depth10.0 km
Epicenter10°32′35″N 64°26′38″W / 10.543°N 64.444°W / 10.543; -64.444Coordinates: 10°32′35″N 64°26′38″W / 10.543°N 64.444°W / 10.543; -64.444
TypeStrike-slip
Areas affectedVenezuela
Total damageMajor
Max. intensityIX (Violent) – XI (Extreme)
Tsunami3 m (9.8 ft)
LandslidesYes
ForeshocksYes
AftershocksYes
Casualties>200 dead, 800 injured

The 1929 Cumaná earthquake occurred on January 17 at 07:45:44 local time, affecting Venezuela. Measuring 6.9 on the surface wave magnitude scale (Ms ) at a depth of 10 km,[1] the earthquake severely damaged the city of Cumaná in Sucre state. The earthquake had an epicenter located offshore in the Caribbean Sea, but had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity scale rating of IX (Violent) or XI (Extreme) lasting 30 seconds,[2][3] causing major damage and a tsunami. More than 200 people were killed although the finalized death toll is unknown.

Earthquake[]

The earthquake was associated with strike-slip faulting at a shallow depth; a common characteristic for earthquakes of this depth in the region of northern Venezuela.[4] The El Pilar Fault, a right-lateral strike-slip fault extending 350 km from the Cariaco Basin to the Paria Peninsula. The earthquake in 1929 is thought to have ruptured approximately 30 to 40 km of the fault.[5][6] The same fault segment is thought to have partially ruptured during the similar sized 1997 Cariaco earthquake.

Tsunami[]

At the coast of Cumaná, in Puerto De Sucre, survivors witnessed the a drawback of the sea by as much as 200 meters. The tsunami reportedly swept away some homes located along the shore, killing some 40 individuals. The maximum tsunami height was measured at 3 meters.[7] Cumaná suffered severe damage from the tsunami, and the waves were recorded in four other cities. Two launches, each weighing 5-tons were carried and dumped inland. Boats were destroyed.[8]

Impact[]

The earthquake razed to the ground more than 3,500 homes in Cumaná. The shaking which lasted 30 seconds, severely damaged a theater, which has now been converted to a cathedral. The Church of Santa Inés suffered partial destruction of its structure, as well as to the . A clock tower on the Church of Santa Inés stopped working at the time the earthquake struck. After the earthquake, new towers were built around the church during restoration works. Ground collapse and landslides were reported.[8] The earthquake was also felt in Barcelona, Margarita, Güiria, Carúpano, Río Caribe, Caracas, and Irapa.[9] No official figure for the death toll exists, although is has been estimated to be as much as 8% of the population of 20,000.[10] At least 800 people were injured.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "International Seismological Centre Online Event Bibliography event 907860". ISC: On-Line Bulletin. International Seismological Centre. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  2. ^ "The 1997, Cariaco, Eastern Venezuela Earthquake" (EERI Special Earthquake Report). Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. October 1997. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  3. ^ "CUMANA VICTIMS TELL QUAKE STORY". The New York Times Archives. The New York Times. Associated Press. 20 January 1929. p. 6.
  4. ^ Diane I. Doser; Shelley R. Vandusen (1996). "Source processes of large (M≥6.5) earthquakes of the Southeastern Caribbean (1926–1960)" (PDF). Pure and Applied Geophysics. 146: 43–66. doi:10.1007/BF00876669.
  5. ^ F.A. Audemard, M.N. Machette, J.W. Cox, R.L. Dart, K.M. Haller (2000). "Map and Database of Quaternary Faults in Venezuela and its Offshore Regions" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/ofr0018. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Mocquet A.; Beltran C.; Lugo M.; Rodriguez J. A.; Singer A. (1996). "Seismological interpretation of the historical data related to the 1929 Cumana earthquake, Venezuela" (PDF). Andean geodynamics: extended abstracts. ISSN 0767-2896.
  7. ^ Mirna Guevara (2014). "SIMULACIÓN NUMÉRICA DEL TSUNAMI ASOCIADO ALTERREMOTO DEL 17 DE ENERO DE 1929 EN LA CIUDAD DECUMANÁ, UNA CONTRIBUCIÓN A LOS ESTUDIOS DE RIESGO ENLAS COSTAS VENEZOLANAS" [NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE TSUNAMI ASSOCIATED WITH THEEARTHQUAKE OF JANUARY 17, 1929 IN THE CITY OFCUMANÁ, A CONTRIBUTION TO RISK STUDIES IN THE VENEZUELAN COASTS] (PDF) (in Spanish). Caracas, Venezuela. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ a b James F. Lander; Lowell S. Whiteside; Patricia A. Lockridge (2002). "A brief of tsunamis in the Caribbean Sea" (PDF). Science of Tsunami Hazards. 20 (2): 57-94.
  9. ^ Zoraida Pereira (2002). La Investigación Sismológica en Venezuela (in Spanish). Caracas, Venezuela: Impresos Lauper. ISBN 980-6069-11-0.
  10. ^ "TERREMOTO DE CUMANÁ". Sucre Turística. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
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