1953 Paphos earthquake
  Location within Cyprus | |
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| Magnitude |
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| Epicenter | 34°44′28″N 32°20′06″E / 34.741°N 32.335°E |
| Areas affected | British Cyprus |
| Total damage | ₤850,000 |
| Max. intensity | MMI X (Extreme) |
| Tsunami | Yes |
| Casualties | 40 dead, 100 injured |
The 1953 Paphos earthquake struck off the coast of Paphos on Cyprus at 07:05 EEST on 10 September. The earthquake with a magnitude of Mw 6.3 or Ms 6.5, occurred at a depth of 20 km (12 mi). It was caused by normal faulting at a shallow depth; further analysis of seismic data revealed that this was a doublet earthquake comprising two similarly-sized subevents about 50 km (31 mi) and 8 seconds apart.
In Paphos District, the earthquake killed 40 people, injured 100 and made another 4,000 homeless. The town of Paphos and 158 villages was severely damaged while five were completely destroyed. Damage from the earthquake totaled ₤850,000. An aftershock on 18 September also caused further damage. The mainshock triggered a non-destructive tsunami observed at Paphos.
Geological setting
[edit]Cyprus is located on a plate boundary between the Anatolian and African plates known as the Cyprus Arc. While subduction occurs along the Hellenic Trench west of the arc, the Cyprus Arc itself involves continental collision, though whether subduction along the arc is active remains debated by geologists. In this part of the northeastern Mediterranean Sea, the Cyprus Arc, East Anatolian, and Dead Sea fault zones form a form a triple junction. The seismicity of the region during the 20th century was low, but large earthquakes have occurred in the past with a recurrence interval of 200–350 years.[1]
Although the tectonic regime is compressional, there are large extensional structures near Cyprus.[1] Between southeast Turkey and Cyprus, two extensional basins; the Adana–Cilicia and the Iskenderun–Latakia–Mesaoria Basins, bound the Kyrenia–Misis–Andirin Ridge. This partially submarine ridge, part of the Kyrenia-Misis-Andirin Unit, has been interpreted as a large flower structure. In addition, small along-strike variations in the plate boundary west of the triple junction influence whether extension or compression occurs despite its dominant strike-slip motion.[2]
Earthquake
[edit]The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 6.3 or surface-wave magnitude of 6.5, and struck offshore, 9 km (5.6 mi) from Paphos at 07:06 EEST on 10 September, at a depth of 20 km (12 mi).[3] A discrepancy between instrumental seismic data and macroseismic effects led seismologists Nicholas Ambraseys and Robin Adams to further analyse the observation readings. They inferred that the earthquake was caused by normal faulting. While International Seismological Summary earthquake catalog publish one mainshock centered 15 km (9.3 mi) offshore, southwest of Cyprus, the macroseismic effects suggest an epicenter onshore and east of the instrumental one. Additionally, instrumental records indicate two episodes of initial P wave arrival ten seconds apart. The mainshock was a doublet earthquake; two events occurring eight seconds and 50 km (31 mi) apart; the second event was as large or possibly larger than the first. Their surface-wave magnitudes were Ms 6.0 and 6.1, respectively.[4]
The focal mechanism of the earthquake is poorly constrained; two solutions are plausible. The first solution is normal faulting on either an east-striking fault dipping 76° north or a northwest-striking fault dipping 22° southwest. The other is strike-slip faulting on a north–northeast trending, right- or northeast trending left-lateral fault. Both solutions are consistent with possible movements on two shallow normal faults trending north–northwest and east–northeast, and dipping 70° west and 70° south, respectively.[5]
Impact
[edit]The earthquake killed 40 people, injured 100 others, and left another 4,000 homeless in Paphos District. At least 158 villages were severely damaged while four, Stroumbi, Axylou, Kithasi, Lapithiou and Phasoula, were destroyed. In Paphos, 171 homes were destroyed and 1,289 were damaged, amounting to ₤850,000. The damage in villages was primarily caused by imminent landslides and ground fractures, particularly in marl or scree areas. Some areas although not subject to severe shaking, sustained damage from massive ground subsidence. Soil liquefaction occurred along the beach in Avdimou and Vassa in Limassol District. Several homes in Limassol were also cracked.[4]
Small, non-destructive, tsunami waves were observed along the coast of Paphos, likely the result of a coastal landslides.[6][7] A maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme) was assigned.[8] Landslides damage some roads and were worsened by rain in the aftermath. In several small bridges, their support structures were displaced. The shaking was felt as far as Beirut, Lebanon; northern Israel; between Port Said and Damietta in Egypt; and Turkey. The aftershock sequence lasted one month; on 18 September, a mb 5.5 aftershock caused additional damage in Paphos.[4]
In the immediate aftermath, doctors and police from Nicosia arrived in Paphos to provide assistance.[9] British air force and army supplied medical equipment and ambulances.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Pınar, Ali; Kalafat, Doğan (1999). "Source processes and seismotectonic implications of the 1995 and 1996 Cyprus, Eastern Mediterranean region, earthquakes". Tectonophysics. 301 (3–4): 217–230. doi:10.1016/S0040-1951(98)00266-2.
- ↑ Kempler, Ditza; Garfunkel, Zvi (1994). "Structures and kinematics in the northeastern Mediterranean: A study of an irregular plate boundary". Tectonophysics. 234 (1–2): 19–32. doi:10.1016/0040-1951(94)90202-X.
- ↑ ISC (2022), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1904–2018), Version 9.1, International Seismological Centre
- 1 2 3 Ambraseys, N.N.; Adams, R.D. (1993). "Seismicity of the Cyprus region". Terra Nova. 5 (1): 85–94. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3121.1993.tb00229.x.
- ↑ Mercier, J.; Vergely, P.; Delibassis, N. (1973). "Comparison between deformation deduced from the analysis of recent faults and from focal mechanisms of earthquakes (an example: the Paphos region, Cyprus)". Tectonophysics. 19: 315–332. doi:10.1016/0040-1951(73)90026-7.
- ↑ Anna Fokaefs, Gerassimos A. Papadopoulos (March 2007). "Tsunami hazard in the Eastern Mediterranean: Strong earthquakes and tsunamis in Cyprus and the Levantine Sea". Natural Hazards. 40 (3): 503–526. Bibcode:2007NatHa..40..503F. doi:10.1007/s11069-006-9011-3. S2CID 129760050.
- ↑ Tsunami Event Information, National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7
- ↑ Significant Earthquake Information, National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
- ↑ "Cyprus earthquake kills thirty-five". The West Australian. 11 September 1953. p. 1.
- ↑ "Earthquakes Cause Deaths, Havoc On Cyprus". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press. 11 September 1953. p. 1.