Week 3: Earthquakes
Spain is known to have major earthquakes with a 7.0 and above causing over 100 kilometers of damage. Spain's southernmost part is the zone with the highest seismic activity. The fault line that Spain sits on is the AMF(Alhama de Murcia fault). There are about 1,200 to 1,400 tremors in the Iberian peninsula recorded but every 3 and a half years a 5.0 earthquake usually occurs.
The last major earthquake that Spain experienced was a 7.8 in Cape St. Vincent on February 28th, 1969, this occurred in Portugal but since Spain and Portugal are neighbors, many of Spain's buildings were knocked down.
Spain has a catalog of earthquake damage to provide records for damage caused by earthquakes. It is used to understand disaster risk by making the public aware of this. Doing this can help them understand economic, health and environmental impacts, to prevent exposure to specific areas. There is also a national seismic network, also known as an early warning system. These help provide citizens with motion and alert of incoming disasters to help all come to shelter. They are placed all over the country to detect real time catastrophes.
sources:
catalog-earthquake-damage-spain-tool-disaster-risk-reduction
Great detail work on your Spain blog Melissa. I wanted to ask if you knew what type of catalog Spain uses for earthquake damage and if there is any specific criteria? I read in your blog that they also have a national seismic network, which is great! But I was just curious about the catalog for damages?
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa,
DeleteYour blog this week is well organized and has lots of relevant information! I see that Spain has lots of earthquakes that have 7.0 or above magnitudes. Just like Spain, Turkey, has many earthquakes specifically around the North and East Anatolian faults that have 7.0 and above magnitudes. Turkey's most recent earthquake, was in the city of Izmir on October 30, 2020 with a 7.0 magnitude killing 117 people. However, Turkey's most deadly earthquake was in the city of Izmir on August 17, 1999, with a 7.4 magnitude killing at least 20,000 people according to USGS.
Very good seismic reflection!
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