Publication Date:
2017-04-04
Description:
The southernmost sector of the Italian peninsula is crossed by an almost
continuous seismogenic belt capable of producing M ~ 7 earthquakes and extending
from the Calabrian Arc, through the Messina Straits, as far as Southeastern Sicily.
Though large earthquakes occurring in this region during the last Millennium are
fairly well known from the historical point of view and seismic catalogues may be
considered complete for destructive and badly damaging events (IX £ Io £ XI
MCS), the knowledge and seismic completeness of moderate earthquakes can be
improved by investigating other kinds of documentary sources not explored by the
classical seismological tradition. In this paper, we present a case study explanatory of
the problem, regarding the Ionian coast between the Messina Straits and Mount
Etna volcano, an area of North-eastern Sicily lacking evidence of relevant seismic
activity in historical times. Now, after a systematic analysis of the 18th century
journalistic sources (gazettes), this gap can be partly filled by the rediscovery of a
seismic sequence that took place in 1780. According to the available catalogues, the
only event on record for this year is a minor shock (Io = VI MCS, Mw = 4.8)
recorded in Messina on March 28, 1780. The newly discovered data allow to reinstate
it as the mainshock (Io = VII–VIII MCS, Mw = 5.6) of a significant seismic period,
which went on from March to June 1780, causing severe damage along the Ionian
coast of North-eastern Sicily. The source responsible for this event appears located
offshore, 40-km south of the previous determination, and is consistent with the Taormina Fault suggested by the geological literature, developing in the low seismic
rate zone at the southernmost termination of the 1908 Messina earthquake fault.
Description:
Published
Description:
reserved
Keywords:
Historical seismology
;
Macroseismic data
;
MCS-EMS intensity scales
;
1780 Seismic sequence
;
Seismotectonics
;
NE Sicily
;
04. Solid Earth::04.06. Seismology::04.06.03. Earthquake source and dynamics
;
04. Solid Earth::04.06. Seismology::04.06.05. Historical seismology
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
Format:
436491 bytes
Format:
application/pdf
