1840 Ararat earthquake

Violent earthquake in eastern Turkey October 2024 1840 Ararat earthquake yes 1840 07 02 yes 16:00 Turkey 39.6 44.1 inline,title 9 7.4 s y Russian EmpireOttoman Empire 10,000 dead An earthquake occurred on 2 July 1840 at 16:00 local time with an epicenter near Mount Ararat, where it triggered an eruption and caused a landslide that destroyed villages. An estimated 10,000 people were killed by the earthquake and its damaging aftershocks. Earthquake catalogs place the surface-wave magnitude at s 7.4 and maximum Modified Mercalli intensity scale assigned IX (Violent). Geology The area lies near the triple junction where the North Anatolian Fault meets the East Anatolian Fault and Zagros fold and thrust belt. These three features mark the plate boundaries of the Anatolian sub-plate, Arabian plate and Eurasian plate. Being at the junction of three tectonic plates, the region is prone to large shallow earthquakes, mainly of the strike-slip and thrust mechanism.Bayrak Yusuf Öztürk Serkan Çınar Hakan Kalafat Doğan Tsapanos Theodoros M. Koravos G. Ch. Leventakis G.-A. Estimating earthquake hazard parameters from instrumental data for different regions in and around Turkey Engineering Geology 2009 105 3–4 200–210 10.1016/j.enggeo.2009.02.004 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013795209000313 Elsevier 2009EngGe.105..200B subscription Karakhanian A.S. Trifonov V.G. Philip H. Avagyan A. Hessami K. Jamali F. Bayraktutan M. S. Bagdassarian H. Arakelian S. Davtian V. Adilkhanyan A. Active faulting and natural hazards in Armenia, Eastern Turkey and North-Western Iran Tectonophysics 2004 380 3–4 189–219 10.1016/j.tecto.2003.09.020 2004Tectp.380..189K The magnitude 7.4 s earthquake occurred along the flanks of Mount Ararat.Nikolai V. Shebalin Günter Leydecker Earthquake catalogue for the former Soviet Union and borders up to 1988 1997 Office for Official Publications of the European Communities Nuclear Science and Technology Series Luxembourg 92-828-1509-9 1018-5593 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/0f2a55f9-67c4-4cef-b062-0c12d8cdba48 A 72 km surface rupture was associated with the shock. Rupture occurred along the Gailatu–Siah Cheshmeh–Khoy Fault—large earthquakes along the fault also occurred in 139 (M 7.0) and 1319 (M 7.4). Impact 230px|thumb|Saint Hakob of Akori Monastery was destroyed by the earthquake As many as 10,000 people died in the earthquake and the associated effects, including 1,900 inhabitants from Akory.Siebert, L., T. Simkin, and P. Kimberly (2010) Volcanoes of the world, 3rd ed. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 551 pp. 978-0-520-26877-7. An estimated 4,000 people died from the secondary effects. The earthquake and lahar killed all 1,000 residents Akory (today Yenidoğan) and monks of the Saint Jacob (Hakob) monastery. A massive air blast caused severe damage. The regions of Avajiq, Pambukh, and Gailatu were devastated; nearly every single village was wiped out. Many homes collapsed and a castle was left in ruins at Doğubayazıt. Few homes remained intact. Liquefaction and landslides occurred in the areas further away from Mount Ararat. Liquefaction destroyed many villages including Karakhasanlou, Alesher and Karachalou. Sand erupted from fissures in the ground. Some fissures extended up to 1 km along the Aras, Karasu, Akhourian and Arpa rivers. In Nakhichevan and Sharur districts, at least 7,821 homes and 24 places of worship were destroyed. Approximately 49 people died and 30 were injured in Russia.National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/1823 Global Significant Earthquake Database 1972 NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 12 March 2023 10.7289/V5TD9V7K National Geophysical Data Center The slide also temporarily dammed the Metsamor River.Karakhanian A. Djrbashian R. Trifonov V. Philip H. Arakelian S. Avagian A. Holocene–Historical Volcanism and Active Faults as Natural Risk Factor for Armenia and Adjacent Countries Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 2002 113 1 319–344 10.1016/s0377-0273(01)00264-5 2002JVGR..113..319K Cities and towns including Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, Garni, Van, Tbilisi, Tabriz, and Gyumri were damaged. Volcanic eruption A Bandai-style phreatic eruption was triggered, melting the glacier on the summit of Ararat, resulting in a lahar that buried villages. The lahar and landslide deposited near the base of the volcano creating a large alluvial fan.Roberto Sergio Azzoni Davide Fugazza Carlo Alberto Garzonio Kathleen Nicoll Guglielmina Adele Diolaiuti Manuela Pelfini Andrea Zerboni Geomorphological effects of the 1840 Ahora Gorge catastrophe on Mount Ararat (Eastern Turkey) Geomorphology 2019 332 10–21 10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.02.001 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169555X19300297 Elsevier 2019Geomo.332...10A 133968021 subscription A phreatic eruption occurred on Mount Ararat on the day the earthquake struck. It generated a pyroclastic flow from fissure vents along the upper northern flank of the volcano. Haroutiunian R. A. Катастрофическое извержение вулкана Арарат 2 июля 1840 года Catastrophic eruption of volcano Ararat on 2 july 1840] Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia: Earth Sciences 2005 58 1 27–35 https://arar.sci.am/publication/131588 ru 0515-961X 26 November 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20250428091109/https://arar.sci.am/publication/131588 28 April 2025 live Historical archive from the Ararat Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church said immediately after the earthquake, a large cloud reminiscent of a smoke column appeared over the canyon at Mount Ararat's northern slope. The village of Akori and Saint Hakob monastery were located at the canyon. A bright-red and blue light illuminated inside the cloud. There was an intense sulfur smell. Boulders measuring 300–500 kg were thrown from a fissure uphill from the monastery and village. The cloud rose above Mount Ararat's summit while another dark red-luminous dust cloud raced down the slope at high speed, destroying the village and killing many people. Trees in the village garden were burnt and uprooted. These descriptions were interpreted as the eruption of Mount Ararat and a pyroclastic flow. Landslide 250px|thumb|right|The gorge on Mount Ararat where the landslide occurred A large landslide occurred on the northeastern flank of the volcano, forming the Ahora Gorge. It destroyed the Saint Hakob of Akori Monastery and Akory. Movement ceased at an elevation of 900 m where a natural dam formed. The dam was breached several days later, flooding and destroying the nearby villages. Additional landslides also caused flooding.Havenith H.B. Coseismic Landslides Recent Earthquake-Triggered Landslide Events in Central Asia, Evidence of Seismic Landslides in the Lesser Caucasus and the Carpathians Springer Natural Hazards 2022 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/296425/1/Chapter%205-Havenith-LRes_final.pdf Springer Natural Hazards. Springer 115–141 10.1007/978-981-19-6597-5_5 2268/296425 978-981-19-6596-8 The earthquake and explosive eruption destabilized and damaged the upper slopes of the mountain. It detached and collapsed down the slope, through the canyon, disintegrating and moving at great velocity. In 2006, an academic study estimated 300,000,000 m3 of volcanic material and glacial melt flowed down the gorge at 175 m per second.A. Karakhanian R. Jrbashyan V. Trifonov H. Philip S. Arakelian A. Avagyan H. Baghdassaryan V. Davtian Historical volcanoes of Armenia and adjacent areas: What is revisited? Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 2006 155 3–4 338–345 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2006.04.008 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377027306001843 Elsevier 2006JVGR..155..338K subscription The landslide consisted of blue liquid mud and large stones which traveled at high speed. An intense smell accompanied the landslide. The flow traveled more than 7 km, creating a dam at the canyon. Large volumes of partially-melted ice, mud, rocks and water collected behind the dam. Bright blue-colored rain fell from the eruption cloud. At Etchmiadzin Cathedral, 55 km from Mount Ararat, the smell of sulfur was intense. Fractures that formed in the canyon ejected murky water with a strong sulfur smell. An aftershock on 6 July caused a dam breach, releasing accumulated debris up to 21 km away. It reached the Aras River valley, spreading 12 km across before drying up. The landslide deposits contained boulders and a thick band of blue clay. Several villages including Aralık (Aralikh) were destroyed, along with some Russian military installations. The landslide also dammed the Karasu River. The debris flowed into fields, destroying the grain and fruit supply.The earthquake at Mount Ararat https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/71614850 19 March 2023 The South Australian 25 June 1841 3 See also List of earthquakes in Armenia List of earthquakes in Iran List of earthquakes in Russia List of earthquakes in Turkey List of historical earthquakes References Category:July 1840 Category:Earthquakes in Turkey Category:Earthquakes in Armenia Category:Earthquakes in Russia Category:Earthquakes in Iran Category:1840 earthquakes Category:Mount Ararat Category:1840 in the Ottoman Empire Category:History of Ağrı Province Category:1840 natural disasters Category:1840 in the Russian Empire Category:1840s disasters in the Russian Empire Category:1840s disasters in Asia Category:19th-century disasters in the Ottoman Empire Category:Floods in Turkey