1929 Grand Banks earthquake
 | |
| UTC time | ?? |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 7.2 Mw |
| Depth | Template:Unit km |
| Epicenter | 44°41′N 56°00′W / 44.69°N 56.00°W |
| Areas affected | Canada |
| Max. intensity | VI - Strong |
| Casualties | 28 killed |
The 1929 Grand Banks earthquake, also called the Laurentian Slope earthquake and the South Shore Disaster, was a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that occurred on November 18, 1929 in the Atlantic Ocean off the south coast of Newfoundland.
The earthquake was centered on the edge of the Grand Banks, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of the island. It was felt as far away as New York and Montreal. The quake, along two faults 250 kilometres (160 miles) south of the Burin Peninsula, triggered a large submarine landslide (200 km3 (48 cu mi)*). It snapped 12 submarine transatlantic telegraph cables and led to a tsunami that arrived in three waves, each up to fifteen metres high, that struck the coast at 105 km/h (65 mph) about three hours after the earthquake occurred. The waves travelled at speeds up to 129 km/h (80 mph) at the epicentre; they were recorded as far away as Portugal.
The tsunami destroyed many south coastal communities on the Burin Peninsula, killing 28 people and leaving 10,000 more homeless. All means of communication were cut off by the destruction, and relief efforts were further hampered by a blizzard that struck the day after. It took more than three days before the SS Meigle responded to an SOS signal with doctors, nurses, blankets, and food. Donations from across Newfoundland, Canada, the United States and United Kingdom totalled $250,000.
As of 2008[update], it is the only recorded tsunami to have struck Canada's east coast.
See also
References
- Fine, I. V. (2005). "The Grand Banks landslide-generated tsunami of November 18, 1929: preliminary analysis and numerical modeling" (PDF). Marine Geology. 215 (1–2): 45–57. doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2004.11.007.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - SOS! Canadian Disasters, a virtual museum exhibition at Library and Archives Canada
External links
- Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster - Maura Hanrahan (2004) ISBN 1894463633
- The Magnitude 7.2 1929 "Grand Banks" earthquake and tsunami - Natural Resources Canada
- The South Shore disaster: Newfoundland's tsunami
- Not Too Long Ago (first hand accounts of the tsunami, pp. 51-60)