1787 Boricua earthquake: Difference between revisions
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The '''1787 Boricua earthquake''' struck the island of Puerto Rico on May 2. The [[Richter magnitude scale|magnitude]] of the earthquake |
The '''1787 Boricua earthquake''' struck the island of [[Puerto Rico]] on May 2. The [[Richter magnitude scale|magnitude]] of the earthquake was believed to have been around 8.0–8.5, however there is evidence that it was only about 6.9<ref name="Journal of Geophysical Research">{{cite journal |last1=ten Brink |first1=Dr. Uri |last2=Bakun |first2=William H. |last3=Flores |first3=Claudia H. |title=Historical perspective on seismic hazard to Hispaniola and the northeast Caribbean region |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research |date=29 December 2011 |url=https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2011JB008497 |accessdate=8 January 2020}}</ref>. The [[epicenter]] is thought to have been somewhere north of Puerto Rico, probably on the [[Puerto Rico Trench]].<ref name="usgs" /> Puerto Rican [[geomorphology|geomorphologist]] José Molinelli considers it "the strongest" in the seismic history of the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/nota/a229anosdelterremotomasfuerteenlahistoria-2195292/|title=A 229 años del terremoto "más fuerte en la historia"|author=Alvarado León, Gerardo E.|publisher=[[El Nuevo Día]]|date=May 5, 2016|accessdate=May 5, 2016}}</ref> |
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==Effects== |
==Effects== |
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According to some sources, the earthquake was felt all across the Island. It demolished some structures like the [[Arecibo, Puerto Rico|Arecibo]] church,<ref>[http://edicionesdigitales.info/PueblosPR/PueblosPR/Arecibo.html Arecibo] on EdicionesDigitales</ref> along with monasteries like El Rosario and La Concepcion. It is also reported that it damaged the churches at [[Bayamón, Puerto Rico|Bayamon]], [[Toa Baja, Puerto Rico|Toa Baja]] and [[Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Mayagüez]]. It also caused considerable damage to the forts of [[Fort San Felipe del Morro|San Felipe del Morro]] and [[Castillo San Cristóbal (San Juan)|San Cristobal]], breaking cisterns, walls and guard houses.<ref name="usgs" /><ref>[http://www.noticiasonline.com/D.asp?id=23279 El Morro, San Cristobal y San Geronimo en peligro en caso de terremoto] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108041846/http://www.noticiasonline.com/D.asp?id=23279 |date=2014-01-08 }} on NoticiasOnline (6/7/2009)</ref> Apparently, the earthquake did not cause major damage in the South of the island, but did crack the walls of the [[Ponce Cathedral|Our Lady of Guadalupe church]] in Ponce.<ref>[http://www.salonhogar.com/ciencias/naturaleza/terremotos/doc1.htm ''Historia sísmica de Puerto Rico: Terremotos significativos en la zona de Puerto Rico.''] SalonHogar.com Accessed 22 March 2018.</ref> |
According to some sources, the earthquake was felt all across the Island. It demolished some structures like the [[Arecibo, Puerto Rico|Arecibo]] church,<ref>[http://edicionesdigitales.info/PueblosPR/PueblosPR/Arecibo.html Arecibo] on EdicionesDigitales</ref> along with monasteries like El Rosario and La Concepcion. It is also reported that it damaged the churches at [[Bayamón, Puerto Rico|Bayamon]], [[Toa Baja, Puerto Rico|Toa Baja]] and [[Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Mayagüez]]. It also caused considerable damage to the forts of [[Fort San Felipe del Morro|San Felipe del Morro]] and [[Castillo San Cristóbal (San Juan)|San Cristobal]], breaking cisterns, walls and guard houses.<ref name="usgs" /><ref>[http://www.noticiasonline.com/D.asp?id=23279 El Morro, San Cristobal y San Geronimo en peligro en caso de terremoto] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108041846/http://www.noticiasonline.com/D.asp?id=23279 |date=2014-01-08 }} on NoticiasOnline (6/7/2009)</ref> Apparently, the earthquake did not cause major damage in the South of the island, but did crack the walls of the [[Ponce Cathedral|Our Lady of Guadalupe church]] in Ponce.<ref>[http://www.salonhogar.com/ciencias/naturaleza/terremotos/doc1.htm ''Historia sísmica de Puerto Rico: Terremotos significativos en la zona de Puerto Rico.''] SalonHogar.com Accessed 22 March 2018.</ref> |
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There are no reports of damage on the surrounding islands, adding to the evidence that the quake was smaller than previously thought.<ref name="Journal of Geophysical Research" /> |
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==Evidence== |
==Evidence== |
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Revision as of 02:49, 8 January 2020
| Local date | May 2, 1787 |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | ~8.0 Mw[1] |
| Areas affected | Puerto Rico |
| Tsunami | No |
| Casualties | unknown |
The 1787 Boricua earthquake struck the island of Puerto Rico on May 2. The magnitude of the earthquake was believed to have been around 8.0–8.5, however there is evidence that it was only about 6.9[2]. The epicenter is thought to have been somewhere north of Puerto Rico, probably on the Puerto Rico Trench.[1] Puerto Rican geomorphologist José Molinelli considers it "the strongest" in the seismic history of the country.[3]
Effects
According to some sources, the earthquake was felt all across the Island. It demolished some structures like the Arecibo church,[4] along with monasteries like El Rosario and La Concepcion. It is also reported that it damaged the churches at Bayamon, Toa Baja and Mayagüez. It also caused considerable damage to the forts of San Felipe del Morro and San Cristobal, breaking cisterns, walls and guard houses.[1][5] Apparently, the earthquake did not cause major damage in the South of the island, but did crack the walls of the Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Ponce.[6]
There are no reports of damage on the surrounding islands, adding to the evidence that the quake was smaller than previously thought.[2]
Evidence
The earthquake that struck the island has little historical record itself, but some of the little evidence that exists suggests that effects were done to the topography of the ocean floor. Also, soil deposits give evidence that the event may have had a physical effect on the island; this evidence suggests that the island may have sunk about 3 meters. It is estimated that the tsunami produced by the earthquake may have been some 40–60 ft. high, mostly because the Caribbean ocean in particular is quite shallow. Coastal regions of the island were swamped, producing a thin layer of the crust, showing that salt water had reached almost 2 miles inland.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Earthquake History of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on USGS
- ^ a b ten Brink, Dr. Uri; Bakun, William H.; Flores, Claudia H. (29 December 2011). "Historical perspective on seismic hazard to Hispaniola and the northeast Caribbean region". Journal of Geophysical Research. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ Alvarado León, Gerardo E. (May 5, 2016). "A 229 años del terremoto "más fuerte en la historia"". El Nuevo Día. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ Arecibo on EdicionesDigitales
- ^ El Morro, San Cristobal y San Geronimo en peligro en caso de terremoto Archived 2014-01-08 at the Wayback Machine on NoticiasOnline (6/7/2009)
- ^ Historia sísmica de Puerto Rico: Terremotos significativos en la zona de Puerto Rico. SalonHogar.com Accessed 22 March 2018.