1915 Avezzano earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1915 Avezzano earthquake or 1915 L'Aquila earthquake occurred on January 13 in southern Italy, near the city of L'Aquila
. The epicenter was located in the town of Avezzano
in southern Italy
. 30,000 direct fatalities resulted from the earthquake
, destroying the epicentral area.
also. The town of Avezzano
was literally toppled from the shaking and only one high-rise building survived. 96 percent of its population was eliminated almost simultaneously, the worst casualty zone. Avezzano is a very rare place in Italy. Several other settlements were demolished in the worst of the earthquake. This damage was attributed to the length of the shock, over 1 minute, and the enormous amount of power released during the tremor. Compound motion of the fault was also a likely contributor to the earthquake's destruction. The structure of the housing also contributed to the collapse; many homes had been built from simple rocks of varying size and were not reinforced by mortar or even wood.
Damage of the earthquake was distributed throughout central and southern Italy. St John's Lateran
reported one fallen statue in addition to cracks in the Column of Marcus Aurelius
; Rome experienced other minor damages. In fact, damage from the earthquake was diverse; either the location was destroyed or experienced little to no damage.
Survivors were pulled out slowly from the ruins of earthquake-stricken zones. One man survived in a barn for a period of 25 days living solely off of grains and water. After a short time the searchers ran out of space to dispose of the debris as it was too overwhelming in mass, forcing the workers to give up. As E.V. Robinson later described, the remaining "work of excavation seemed to go on in an unsystematic and half hearted way".
L'Aquila
L'Aquila is a city and comune in central Italy, both the capital city of the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 73,150 inhabitants, but has a daily presence in the territory of 100,000 people for study, tertiary activities, jobs and tourism...
. The epicenter was located in the town of Avezzano
Avezzano
Avezzano is a town and comune in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila. It is the main commercial, industrial and agricultural centre of the Marsica area, with high-tech industries such as a Micron Technology semi-conductor plant, and a large Telespazio satellite farm.-History:There are two...
in southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. 30,000 direct fatalities resulted from the earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
, destroying the epicentral area.
History
Southern Italy in particular has been an earthquake zone for over 300 years, its deadly earthquakes dating back to at least 1693. Powerful shocks in 1693, 1783, 1908 and 1997 as well as 1915 have killed over 30,000 people each.Damage and casualties
The earthquake took place at around 8:00 local time affecting thousands of people throughout central and southern Italy; the shaking was even felt in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
also. The town of Avezzano
Avezzano
Avezzano is a town and comune in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila. It is the main commercial, industrial and agricultural centre of the Marsica area, with high-tech industries such as a Micron Technology semi-conductor plant, and a large Telespazio satellite farm.-History:There are two...
was literally toppled from the shaking and only one high-rise building survived. 96 percent of its population was eliminated almost simultaneously, the worst casualty zone. Avezzano is a very rare place in Italy. Several other settlements were demolished in the worst of the earthquake. This damage was attributed to the length of the shock, over 1 minute, and the enormous amount of power released during the tremor. Compound motion of the fault was also a likely contributor to the earthquake's destruction. The structure of the housing also contributed to the collapse; many homes had been built from simple rocks of varying size and were not reinforced by mortar or even wood.
Damage of the earthquake was distributed throughout central and southern Italy. St John's Lateran
Basilica of St. John Lateran
The Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran , commonly known as St. John Lateran's Archbasilica and St. John Lateran's Basilica, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope...
reported one fallen statue in addition to cracks in the Column of Marcus Aurelius
Column of Marcus Aurelius
The Column of Marcus Aurelius is a Roman victory column in Piazza Colonna, Rome, Italy. It is a Doric column featuring a spiral relief: it was built in honour of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and modeled on Trajan's Column.- Construction :...
; Rome experienced other minor damages. In fact, damage from the earthquake was diverse; either the location was destroyed or experienced little to no damage.
Survivors were pulled out slowly from the ruins of earthquake-stricken zones. One man survived in a barn for a period of 25 days living solely off of grains and water. After a short time the searchers ran out of space to dispose of the debris as it was too overwhelming in mass, forcing the workers to give up. As E.V. Robinson later described, the remaining "work of excavation seemed to go on in an unsystematic and half hearted way".