1970 Gediz earthquake

1970 Gediz earthquake
Date 28 March 1970 (1970-03-28)[1]
Origin time 21:05:0Z
Magnitude 7.2 Mw[1]
Epicenter 39°12′N 29°30′E / 39.2°N 29.5°E / 39.2; 29.5Coordinates: 39°12′N 29°30′E / 39.2°N 29.5°E / 39.2; 29.5
Areas affected Turkey
Casualties 1,086 dead, 1,260 injured[1]

The 1970 Gediz earthquake (also known as the 1970 Kütahya-Gediz earthquake) struck western Turkey on 28 March at about 23:05 local time. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.2.[1]

The event killed 1,086 people and left 1,260 people wounded and many thousands homeless in Gediz.[1] a district of Kütahya Province situated 98 km (61 mi) southeast of Kütahya.[2] Many people were burned alive as fires broke out from overturned stoves, and 9,452 buildings in the region were severely damaged or destroyed.[1]

The town of Gediz, home to repeated natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, was relocated following a government resolution soon after the destruction to a new place 7 km (4.3 mi) away on the road to Uşak under the name "Yeni Gediz" (literally: 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.[1]

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.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Kütahya Gediz İlçesi-1970 Gediz Depremi" (in Turkish). Kültür Sanat. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  2. "Gediz" (in Turkish). Kütahya Tanıtım. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 15, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.