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| UTC time | 1970-03-28 21:02:24 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 798506 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 28 March 1970 (1970-03-28) |
| Local time | 23:02:24 |
| Magnitude | 7.2 Mw |
| Depth | 17.7 km |
| Epicenter | 39°12′N 29°30′E / 39.2°N 29.5°E / 39.2; 29.5 |
| Areas affected | Turkey |
| Max. intensity | MMI IX (Violent) |
| Casualties | 1,086 dead, 1,260 injured |
The 1970 Gediz earthquake (also known as the 1970 Kütahya-Gediz earthquake) struck western Turkey on 28 March at about 23:02 local time with an estimated magnitude of 7.2 on the Mw scale.
Gediz, a district of Kütahya Province situated 98 km (81 mi) southeast of Kütahya, was a town that experienced repeated natural disasters including earthquakes and floods. It was relocated following a government resolution soon after the destruction to a new location that was 7 km (4.3 mi) away on the road to Uşak with the new name of Yeni Gediz (English: New Gediz).
The residents moved in their newly built, earthquake-resistant homes. Neighboring towns and villages were also rebuilt at places with relative minimum earthquake risk.
Other major earthquakes occurred in Gediz in 1866 and 1896, and on June 25, 1944, at 07:20 local time, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred in Gediz, killing 20 people and damaging around 3,500 buildings.
Damage and casualties
The earthquake killed 1,086 people, injured 1,260 people, and left many thousands homeless in Gediz. Many people were burned alive as fires broke out from overturned stoves, and 9,452 buildings in the region were severely damaged or destroyed.
See also
References
- ^ "Kütahya Gediz İlçesi-1970 Gediz Depremi" (in Turkish). Kültür Sanat. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
- Ambraseys, N. N. (1988). "Engineering seismology: Part I". Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics. 17 (1). Table IV. List of the larger shallow earthquakes (M,>5.9) in Turkey and neighbouring regions for the period 1899–1986. Bibcode:1988EESD...17....1A. doi:10.1002/eqe.4290170101. ISSN 0098-8847.
- ANSS. "M 7.2 – 19 km NE of Gediz, Turkey 1970". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
- "Gediz" (in Turkish). Kütahya Tanıtım. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
External links
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.
| ← Earthquakes in 1970 → | |
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| † indicates earthquake resulting in at least 30 deaths ‡ indicates the deadliest earthquake of the year |