Today in Earthquake History

On January 15th...

• M5.4 - Sicily, Italy, 1968

  Several villages in western Sicily were destroyed by this strong shock. It toppled houses, hospitals, medieval castles, and churches in the worst disaster in this country since the December 28, 1908 Messina earthquake. Damage was estimated at $250 - $320 million, with 216 killed and 563 injured.
  From United States Earthquakes, 1968.

• M7.4 - San Juan, Argentina, 1944

  More than 8,000 dead. One of the world's deadliest earthquakes. Severe destruction in the city of San Juan; at least 12,000 people injured. Damage also occurred in Mendoza Province. This is the greatest number of casualties for any earthquake in the history of Argentina. Some estimates of the death toll are as high as 10,000. The quake was felt strongly (VI) in Cordoba, La Rioja and San Luis Provinces, Argentina and in the San Felipe-Petorca area, Chile. About 7 km (4 mi) of surface faulting at La Laja, north of San Juan.

• M8.1 - Nepal-India Border Region, 1934

  10,700 deaths. One of the world's deadliest earthquakes.
  Extreme damage (X) in the Sitamarhi-Madhubani, India area, where most buildings tilted or sank up to 1 m (3 ft) into the thick alluvium. Sand covered the sunken floors up to 1 m deep. This liquefaction damage extended eastward through Supaul to Purnia, India. In the Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga area south of the zone of liquefaction most buildings were shaken apart by "typical" severe earthquake damage. Two other areas of extreme damage (X) from shaking occurred in the Munger (Monghyr) area along the Ganges River, India and in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Large fissures occurred in the alluvial areas; one was 4.5 m (15 ft) deep, 9 m wide and 300 m long. About two-thirds of the casualties were in India. The quake was also felt in Tibet.