1119:...At 5 pm, a violent earthquake shook the Maltese isles. It lasted for seven minutes. It left great damage on the two isles. At Gozo, the church of Saint George, Saint James and the chapel of Notre-Dame at Qala were greatly damaged. In Malta, the church of St John at Valletta, the cathedral of Mdina and many other churches were also effected. At Wardija, near Qala, people are said to have seen the earth rise and fall with such force that the soil seemed to remain floating in the air, creating a dust cloud that remained for a long time. Many of the hills in Gozo crumbled.
32:
1155:
1061:
1211:
989:
1170:
as the newspapers of the era testify. People were woken in the middle of the night by a deafening growl and a movement of the earth that lasted between 22 and 60 seconds. Nearly all the houses in
Valletta were damaged, as were houses in Gozo, notably on the upper floors. Numerous churches were affected, and in particular the cathedral of Mdina. The belltower of the
1169:
was very seriously hit by the particularly violent earthquake of 12 October 1856. Certain seismic registers attribute it with a magnitude of 8.2. It claimed numerous victims in Crete. Despite being at a distance of more than 1000 km from the epicentre, the earthquake was violently felt in Malta,
1337:
The risk of a tsunami wave between 4 m and 7 m high is estimated as a possibility every 600 to 1500 years. The occurrence of an event comparable to that of 1603, could have grave social and economic consequences as areas near the sea are largely built up, in particular for tourist activity
1354:
have been imposed as the rate of construction accelerates and numerous buildings are completed. The risk is increased further by building in unreinforced masonry, incorporating heavy floors and concrete roofs with often large cellars used as garages. This type of construction is particularly
1016:
In Malta, the earthquake provoked panic among the population, with many
Maltese refusing to go back to their homes in the nights that followed, seeking refuge in tents or underground shelters. No injuries or fatalities were reported. The
1012:
of 7.4, it is considered to be the most powerful earthquakes in
Italian history. The earthquake was preceded on 9 January by a precursory earthquake of a magnitude of around 5.9 which was strongly felt but did not cause damage.
1139:
An account by six architects described three large cracks of around 3 cm in width on each side of the cupola, revealing most of the stones in the cupola and the terrible damage to the walls of the choir.
1198:. Once again, the local papers reported a general panic in the population that rushed outside dwellings, awoken by the earthquake on 27 August 1886. Some buildings were affected, including the ceiling of the
1333:
8 happening every 1000 years and an event at intensity 6 happening every 92 years. Historically, since 1530, an earthquake of 7–8 intensity has been reported, as well as at least four events of intensity 7.
133:
Prior to the 20th century and the first seismic recordings in the region, information on
Maltese earthquakes was researched in archives. These range mostly from the arrival of the knights of the
1224:
30 September 1911 earthquake was more distinctly felt in Gozo than in Malta. Newspapers reported the appearance of deep cracks in the domes and the belltowers of many churches, in particular at
1305:. At least three large waves caused significant damage and took a number of victims in the east of Sicily. The waves of this tsunami hit the shores of Malta an hour later, causing flooding at
1517:
1252:
seismograph at
Valletta. It seems not to have worked and gave no useful information; the seismologic data is therefore not clear. The shock seems to have been most felt around the
1256:. Some damage was reported, such as the falling of the stone crosses on churches or cracks in the domes. The greatest ravages seem to have been those exerted on the
1581:
1282:
1105:
1041:
was part destroyed – but the cathedral was already badly damaged before the earthquake, and so a reconstruction had already been planned. The
1257:
19:
is considered to be low with little historic damage noted and no known victims. The archipelago is however in a potentially significant
1525:
1080:
95:(sometimes west–east) with dextral cavities that are responsible for most of the earthquakes that can affect the archipelago.
1064:
1046:
1038:
1018:
134:
370:
310:
1330:
1191:
1087:
822:
767:
711:
649:
541:
481:
207:
180:
173:
1057:
suffered considerable damage, it was situated at a high altitude which was particularly susceptible to earthquakes.
880:
1171:
1576:
1149:
1448:
1240:
was badly hit. Many landslides were reported on the isle of Gozo. In Malta, damage was limited to a few cracks.
980:
reports that the earthquake of 10 December 1542 was strongly felt in Malta where some houses were knocked down.
149:
has been relatively limited, mostly due to an inadequate network of seismic stations, particularly before 1980.
1390:
1475:
1298:
1179:
1158:
1099:
31:
1426:
1351:
1009:
1001:
185:
1199:
1128:
1265:
1054:
122:
115:
64:
1131:
was destroyed and the bell tower heavily damaged. The cathedral was so cracked in all areas that:
1391:"Seismic history of the Maltese islands and considerations on seismic risk: Earthquakes in Malta"
1236:, where many public buildings were affected. Numerous rural buildings were completely destroyed.
1079:
were damaged, but
Blondel notes that the damage were more likely caused by years of neglect. The
1025:, no building escaped unharmed by the earthquake, from simple cracks to complete demolition. The
1154:
1037:
suffered more greatly as many of the buildings were older and were poorly maintained. Notably,
1586:
1302:
1076:
1060:
873:
759:
703:
616:
591:
448:
423:
146:
138:
99:
68:
1317:, the sea came and went with force. The sea level was registered as abnormally high in the
92:
44:
1135:...Even the sound of the bell didn't dare to enter for fear of seeing the building fall.
1086:
The considerable material damage in Malta has been attributed to the maximum earthquake
1545:
1233:
988:
56:
1281:
The tsunami of 16 January 1693 occurred contemporaneously with the strong earthquake.
1570:
1318:
1253:
1237:
1214:
1030:
48:
1261:
1050:
1026:
993:
20:
1210:
1174:
at Mdina was so cracked that it needed to be rebuilt. The chapel on the islet of
1195:
1109:
80:
1425:
Boschi, E.; Guidoboni, G.; Mariotti, D.; Valensise, G.; Gasperini, P. (2000).
1310:
1249:
1115:, a two-volume manuscript dealing with the history of Gozo completed in 1746:
815:
641:
363:
52:
1321:. Many fishing boats were damaged or destroyed, but no deaths were reported.
1127:(the little dome) of the cathedral fell into the church, the back end of the
895:
882:
837:
824:
782:
769:
726:
713:
664:
651:
556:
543:
496:
483:
385:
372:
325:
312:
222:
209:
1004:
is the most significant earthquake felt in Malta since the 16th century. In
142:
107:
103:
72:
1248:
18 September 1923 earthquake was the first to follow the installation of a
1313:
a foaming wave crossed the main road hitting the church of St. Peter. At
1229:
1022:
119:
1202:
in
Valletta. For once, the cathedral in Mdina was not greatly affected.
1123:
A document in the archives of the cathedral of Mdina described how the
1053:, the bell tower and the apse of the church of St. Paul came down. The
1021:
delegated its head engineer, Mederico
Blondel to assess the damage. At
111:
1339:
1314:
1286:
1175:
1005:
474:
303:
200:
88:
76:
1182:
collapsed in this earthquake and has remained in ruins ever since.
1067:, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, damaged by the 1743 earthquake
1487:
1306:
1225:
1209:
1166:
1153:
1059:
1034:
987:
534:
91:. These grabens are linked by a system of north–south orientation
84:
60:
51:. The islands are situated around 200 km to the south of the
40:
30:
1218:
1072:
1427:"Catalogue of Strong Italian Earthquakes from 461 B.C. to 1997"
1268:
was badly damaged and remained unused for more than 70 years.
1045:
in Mdina was equally damaged, and would be rebuilt in 1726 by
59:. The pelagic plate forms a shallow platform separating the
1008:, it caused the death of around 60,000 individuals. With a
1033:
were considerably less affected. However, the old city of
23:
and the risk to the population is probably undervalued.
1476:"The Crypt and Church of S. Marija tal-Virtù at Rabat"
1289:
turned a thousand times before returning with force.
1297:The tsunami of 28 December 1908 corresponds to the
35:
Map of tectonic plates in the
Eastern Mediterranean
1501:Agius de Soldanis, Gian Pietro Francesco (1746).
1133:
1117:
1546:"Tsunami Risks in the Mediterranean – Part 2"
1480:Elita Historica: A Journal of Maltese History
1309:, where part of the old town was damaged. At
141:. After this period, the localisation of the
8:
1108:recounts 20 February 1743 earthquake in his
1002:earthquake of 11 January 1693 in Val di Noto
996:dating from 1696 on the Sicilian earthquake
1329:Seismic risk was evaluated at an event of
1346:Integration of risk in building standards
1161:, which collapsed in the 1856 earthquake
156:
55:fault between the African Plate and the
1364:
1106:Gian Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis
153:Summary table of earthquakes since 1500
1582:Earthquake and seismic risk mitigation
1505:(in Italian). PLG, Biblioteca ms. 243.
1503:Il Gozo Antico-Moderno e Sacro-Profano
1113:Il Gozo Antico-Moderno e Sacro-Profano
978:Sicilian Chronicle of the 16th century
1539:
1537:
1535:
1420:
1418:
1416:
1384:
1382:
1380:
1378:
1376:
1374:
1372:
1370:
1368:
7:
1449:"Tremor of 5.3 magnitude hits Malta"
1518:"Għajn Ħadid Tower and Aħrax Tower"
1516:Mifsud, Simon (24 December 2012).
47:, a relatively stable part of the
14:
1081:Cathedral of the Assumption, Gozo
1178:was destroyed. The 17th-century
1244:Earthquake of 18 September 1923
1206:Earthquake of 30 September 1911
1094:Earthquake of 20 February 1743
972:Earthquake of 10 December 1542
1:
1144:Earthquake of 12 October 1856
984:Earthquake of 11 January 1693
166:Localisation of the epicentre
139:British colonisation of Malta
135:Order of St John of Jerusalem
67:, situated roughly under the
1486:(4): 326–345. Archived from
1350:Despite a proposed bill, no
1186:Earthquake of 27 August 1886
1165:The epicentre situated near
967:Details of major earthquakes
71:. The plate is crossed by a
1293:Tsunami of 28 December 1908
1065:St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina
1047:Charles François de Mondion
196:10 December at around 15:15
1603:
1544:Camilleri, Dennis (2005).
1355:sensitive to earthquakes.
1352:seismic building standards
1325:Evaluation of seismic risk
1277:Tsunami of 16 January 1693
1192:earthquake on the same day
1147:
1097:
700:30 September, around 09:25
1272:Details of major tsunamis
1150:1856 Heraklion earthquake
470:11 January, around midday
360:20 February, around 16:30
129:List of major earthquakes
1522:MilitaryArchitecture.com
1474:Buhagiar, Mario (1979).
1285:recounts how the sea at
1172:church of the Carmelites
588:8 February, around 23:45
531:12 October, around 00:45
299:11 January, around 13:30
1389:Galea, Pauline (2007).
1100:1743 Salento earthquake
638:27 August, around 22:00
613:15 August, around 02:45
63:basin from the Western
1221:
1190:This was probably the
1162:
1137:
1121:
1068:
997:
756:18 September, at 07:30
145:of earthquakes in the
36:
1213:
1157:
1083:lost its bell tower.
1063:
991:
34:
17:Seismic risk in Malta
1431:Annals of Geophysics
1395:Annals of Geophysics
1039:St. Paul's Cathedral
948:22 April at 12.20am
445:26 February, morning
186:Earthquake magnitude
1194:that struck the SW
1075:, the walls of the
892: /
834: /
779: /
723: /
661: /
553: /
493: /
420:19 January, morning
382: /
322: /
219: /
118:, belonging to the
65:Mediterranean Basin
41:Maltese Archipelago
1528:on 23 August 2017.
1222:
1163:
1069:
998:
953:35.026°N 15.219°E
100:islands themselves
45:underwater plateau
37:
1338:in the region of
1303:Strait of Messina
1283:Agius de Soldanis
1258:church of St Paul
1200:Palace of Justice
1180:Għajn Ħadid Tower
1159:Għajn Ħadid Tower
964:
963:
931:Sicilian Channel
870:21 March at 23:06
1594:
1577:Geology of Malta
1561:
1560:
1550:
1541:
1530:
1529:
1524:. Archived from
1513:
1507:
1506:
1498:
1492:
1491:
1490:on 3 March 2016.
1471:
1465:
1464:
1462:
1460:
1445:
1439:
1438:
1422:
1411:
1410:
1408:
1406:
1386:
1266:Tal-Virtù Church
1104:Local historian
1055:Tal-Virtù Church
994:copper engraving
907:
906:
904:
903:
902:
897:
893:
890:
889:
888:
885:
874:Sicilian Channel
849:
848:
846:
845:
844:
839:
835:
832:
831:
830:
827:
812:26 June at 19:46
794:
793:
791:
790:
789:
784:
780:
777:
776:
775:
772:
760:Sicilian Channel
738:
737:
735:
734:
733:
728:
724:
721:
720:
719:
716:
704:Sicilian Channel
676:
675:
673:
672:
671:
666:
662:
659:
658:
657:
654:
617:Sicilian Channel
592:Sicilian Channel
568:
567:
565:
564:
563:
558:
554:
551:
550:
549:
546:
508:
507:
505:
504:
503:
498:
494:
491:
490:
489:
486:
449:Sicilian Channel
424:Sicilian Channel
397:
396:
394:
393:
392:
387:
383:
380:
379:
378:
375:
337:
336:
334:
333:
332:
327:
323:
320:
319:
318:
315:
257:8 March, morning
234:
233:
231:
230:
229:
224:
220:
217:
216:
215:
212:
157:
147:Sicilian Channel
83:graben, that of
75:formed of three
69:Strait of Sicily
1602:
1601:
1597:
1596:
1595:
1593:
1592:
1591:
1567:
1566:
1565:
1564:
1548:
1543:
1542:
1533:
1515:
1514:
1510:
1500:
1499:
1495:
1473:
1472:
1468:
1458:
1456:
1455:. 22 April 2023
1447:
1446:
1442:
1424:
1423:
1414:
1404:
1402:
1388:
1387:
1366:
1361:
1348:
1327:
1295:
1279:
1274:
1246:
1208:
1188:
1152:
1146:
1102:
1096:
1043:Banca Giuratale
986:
974:
969:
920:
913:
900:
898:
894:
891:
886:
883:
881:
879:
878:
862:
855:
842:
840:
836:
833:
828:
825:
823:
821:
820:
800:
787:
785:
781:
778:
773:
770:
768:
766:
765:
744:
731:
729:
725:
722:
717:
714:
712:
710:
709:
692:
687:
682:
669:
667:
663:
660:
655:
652:
650:
648:
647:
626:
601:
580:
573:
561:
559:
555:
552:
547:
544:
542:
540:
539:
523:
518:
513:
501:
499:
495:
492:
487:
484:
482:
480:
479:
458:
433:
412:
407:
402:
390:
388:
386:39.87°N 18.78°E
384:
381:
376:
373:
371:
369:
368:
352:
347:
342:
330:
328:
326:37.18°N 15.02°E
324:
321:
316:
313:
311:
309:
308:
287:
266:
249:
244:
239:
227:
225:
223:37.20°N 14.90°E
221:
218:
213:
210:
208:
206:
205:
155:
137:in 1530 to the
131:
106:rocks from the
102:are made up of
29:
12:
11:
5:
1600:
1598:
1590:
1589:
1584:
1579:
1569:
1568:
1563:
1562:
1531:
1508:
1493:
1466:
1453:Times of Malta
1440:
1412:
1363:
1362:
1360:
1357:
1347:
1344:
1326:
1323:
1294:
1291:
1278:
1275:
1273:
1270:
1245:
1242:
1234:Ir-Rabat, Gozo
1207:
1204:
1187:
1184:
1148:Main article:
1145:
1142:
1098:Main article:
1095:
1092:
985:
982:
973:
970:
968:
965:
962:
961:
958:
956:
954:
951:
949:
946:
942:
941:
938:
936:
934:
932:
929:
926:
922:
921:
918:
916:
914:
911:
909:
876:
871:
868:
864:
863:
860:
858:
856:
853:
851:
818:
813:
810:
806:
805:
803:
801:
798:
796:
763:
757:
754:
750:
749:
747:
745:
742:
740:
707:
701:
698:
694:
693:
690:
688:
685:
683:
680:
678:
645:
639:
636:
632:
631:
629:
627:
624:
622:
620:
614:
611:
607:
606:
604:
602:
599:
597:
595:
589:
586:
582:
581:
578:
576:
574:
571:
569:
537:
532:
529:
525:
524:
521:
519:
516:
514:
511:
509:
477:
471:
468:
464:
463:
461:
459:
456:
454:
452:
446:
443:
439:
438:
436:
434:
431:
429:
427:
421:
418:
414:
413:
410:
408:
405:
403:
400:
398:
366:
361:
358:
354:
353:
350:
348:
345:
343:
340:
338:
306:
300:
297:
293:
292:
290:
288:
285:
283:
281:
279:
276:
272:
271:
269:
267:
264:
262:
260:
258:
255:
251:
250:
247:
245:
242:
240:
237:
235:
203:
197:
194:
190:
189:
183:
177:
170:
167:
164:
161:
154:
151:
130:
127:
87:, and that of
57:Eurasian Plate
28:
25:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1599:
1588:
1585:
1583:
1580:
1578:
1575:
1574:
1572:
1558:
1554:
1553:The Architect
1547:
1540:
1538:
1536:
1532:
1527:
1523:
1519:
1512:
1509:
1504:
1497:
1494:
1489:
1485:
1481:
1477:
1470:
1467:
1454:
1450:
1444:
1441:
1437:(4): 609–868.
1436:
1432:
1428:
1421:
1419:
1417:
1413:
1400:
1396:
1392:
1385:
1383:
1381:
1379:
1377:
1375:
1373:
1371:
1369:
1365:
1358:
1356:
1353:
1345:
1343:
1341:
1335:
1332:
1324:
1322:
1320:
1319:Grand Harbour
1316:
1312:
1308:
1304:
1300:
1292:
1290:
1288:
1284:
1276:
1271:
1269:
1267:
1263:
1259:
1255:
1254:Grand Harbour
1251:
1243:
1241:
1239:
1238:Fort Chambray
1235:
1231:
1227:
1220:
1216:
1215:Fort Chambray
1212:
1205:
1203:
1201:
1197:
1193:
1185:
1183:
1181:
1177:
1173:
1168:
1160:
1156:
1151:
1143:
1141:
1136:
1132:
1130:
1126:
1120:
1116:
1114:
1111:
1107:
1101:
1093:
1091:
1089:
1084:
1082:
1078:
1074:
1066:
1062:
1058:
1056:
1052:
1048:
1044:
1040:
1036:
1032:
1031:Grand Harbour
1028:
1024:
1020:
1014:
1011:
1007:
1003:
995:
990:
983:
981:
979:
971:
966:
959:
957:
955:
952:
950:
947:
944:
943:
939:
937:
935:
933:
930:
927:
924:
923:
917:
915:
910:
905:
877:
875:
872:
869:
866:
865:
859:
857:
852:
847:
838:36.5°N 27.5°E
819:
817:
814:
811:
808:
807:
804:
802:
797:
792:
783:35.5°N 14.5°E
764:
761:
758:
755:
752:
751:
748:
746:
741:
736:
727:36.4°N 13.5°E
708:
705:
702:
699:
696:
695:
689:
684:
679:
674:
665:36.4°N 27.2°E
646:
643:
640:
637:
634:
633:
630:
628:
623:
621:
618:
615:
612:
609:
608:
605:
603:
598:
596:
593:
590:
587:
584:
583:
577:
575:
570:
566:
557:37.2°N 15.2°E
538:
536:
533:
530:
527:
526:
520:
515:
510:
506:
497:37.2°N 15.2°E
478:
476:
472:
469:
466:
465:
462:
460:
455:
453:
450:
447:
444:
441:
440:
437:
435:
430:
428:
425:
422:
419:
416:
415:
409:
404:
399:
395:
367:
365:
362:
359:
356:
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1526:the original
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1488:the original
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1457:. Retrieved
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1403:. Retrieved
1401:(6): 725–740
1398:
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1262:Rabat, Malta
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928:22 November
391:39.87; 18.78
331:37.18; 15.02
228:37.20; 14.90
132:
97:
43:rests on an
38:
21:seismic zone
16:
15:
1559:(4): 18–19.
1196:Peloponnese
1110:magnum opus
1027:other towns
899: /
896:35.8°N 15°E
841: /
786: /
730: /
668: /
560: /
500: /
389: /
329: /
278:1 September
226: /
179:Earthquake
169:Coordinates
114:geological
81:Pantelleria
1571:Categories
1359:References
1311:Marsaxlokk
1299:earthquake
1077:Cittadella
843:36.5; 27.5
816:Aegean Sea
788:35.5; 14.5
732:36.4; 13.5
670:36.4; 27.2
642:Aegean Sea
562:37.2; 15.2
502:37.2; 15.2
364:Ionian Sea
143:epicentres
53:subduction
1331:intensity
1125:coppolino
1088:intensity
1010:magnitude
181:intensity
174:intensity
108:Oligocene
104:limestone
73:rift zone
27:Tectonics
1587:Tsunamis
1090:of 7–8.
1023:Valletta
901:35.8; 15
625:5 ?
600:5 ?
473:East of
457:5 ?
432:5 ?
302:East of
286:5 ?
265:5 ?
199:East of
176:in Malta
172:Maximum
120:Cenozoic
1301:in the
1029:of the
992:German
908: ?
887:15°00′E
884:35°48′N
850: ?
829:27°30′E
826:36°30′N
795: ?
774:14°30′E
771:35°30′N
762: ?
739: ?
718:13°30′E
715:36°24′N
706: ?
677: ?
656:27°12′E
653:36°24′N
644: ?
619: ?
594: ?
548:15°12′E
545:37°12′N
488:15°12′E
485:37°12′N
451: ?
426: ?
377:18°47′E
374:39°52′N
317:15°01′E
314:37°11′N
214:14°54′E
211:37°12′N
112:Miocene
77:grabens
1459:20 May
1405:5 June
1340:Sliema
1315:Sliema
1287:Xlendi
1264:. The
1232:, and
1176:Filfla
1006:Sicily
475:Sicily
304:Sicily
201:Sicily
116:epochs
93:faults
89:Linosa
79:: the
61:Ionian
1549:(PDF)
1307:Msida
1250:Milne
1230:Għarb
1226:Nadur
1167:Crete
1129:choir
1051:Rabat
1049:. At
1035:Mdina
1019:Order
945:2023
925:2022
535:Crete
188:(Mw)
85:Malta
1461:2023
1407:2015
1219:Gozo
1073:Gozo
1000:The
976:The
960:5.3
940:4.6
867:1972
809:1926
753:1923
697:1911
635:1886
610:1886
585:1856
528:1856
467:1848
442:1793
417:1789
357:1743
296:1693
275:1636
254:1562
193:1542
163:Date
160:Year
110:and
98:The
39:The
1260:in
1217:in
1071:At
919:4.5
861:7.6
691:7.3
681:6–7
579:7.7
522:5.5
517:8–9
411:6.9
351:7.4
341:7–8
248:6.6
123:era
1573::
1557:34
1555:.
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1534:^
1520:.
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1451:.
1435:43
1433:.
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686:11
243:10
125:.
1484:7
1463:.
1409:.
912:5
854:5
799:6
743:7
572:7
512:5
406:9
401:7
346:9
238:7
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