Earthquake in the Inn Valley, 1670

Earthquake in the Inn Valley, 1670
Coordinates	47 ° 16 '48 " N , 11 ° 30' 36" E Coordinates: 47 ° 16 '48 " N , 11 ° 30' 36" E
date	July 17, 1670
Time	2:15
intensity	8 on the EMS scale
Magnitude	5.2 M L
depth	6 km
epicenter	Hall in Tirol
country	Tyrol
Affected places	Hall, Innsbruck, Schwaz
dead	9

The earthquake in the Inn Valley in 1670 was one of the strongest earthquakes in Tyrol . It happened on the night of July 17, 1670. The epicenter was under Hall in Tirol .

background

The Lower Inn Valley is one of the most active earthquake regions in the Eastern Alps and in all of Austria. The main focus of the strong earthquake activity is in the Innsbruck - Hall area, near the confluence of the Wipptal fault into the seismic Inntal fault. Around 25% of the strong earthquakes in Austria occur in this area. The most momentous earthquakes were recorded in 1572, 1670 and 1689, each of which triggered a series of aftershocks lasting several months.

Expiration and damage

The quake occurred on July 17, 1670 at around 2:15 a.m. Aftershocks were felt for several months. It had a magnitude of 5.2 and an intensity of 8 ° on the EMS scale . The epicenter was at a depth of 6 km.

Damage was reported from the Inn valley from Innsbruck to Schwaz , the quake is said to have been felt as far as Venice , Nuremberg and St. Gallen .

Numerous buildings were damaged in Hall. The tower of the parish church of St. Nicholas collapsed, the tower guard was killed and a man was slain. People were also slain in Thaur and Mils , at least nine people were killed. Thaur Castle , which was no longer in use and was already in disrepair , became a ruin for good.

In Innsbruck there was also numerous damage, including to the parish church , the tower of the court church and the dome of the Jesuit church . The seven-chapel church was so badly damaged that it had to be demolished; it was rebuilt in 1676–1678, a bit offset.

Landslides and landslides occurred in several places. In the Zillertal , 30 cows are said to have been killed by a landslide.

consequences

typical earthquake walls on a house in Hall

The damaged houses in Hall were initially secured with tree trunks, which were abundantly available to fire the saltworks. As a result, the houses in Hall and Innsbruck were reinforced with earthquake walls made of Höttinger breccia that extend up to the first or second floor. These were sometimes removed or built over during later renovations, but are often still preserved and characteristic of the townscape in the old town of Hall and Innsbruck.

The earthquake occurred on July 17th, the day of remembrance of St., who was venerated as patron of earthquakes . Alexius . Thereupon the Innsbruck citizenry elected St. Alexius as the second city patron next to St. James and vowed an annual procession and a festival service on his feast day. The saint was venerated on a side altar in the Seven Chapel Church as early as 1600 ; after the church was profaned under Joseph II , the altarpiece was transferred to the Three Saints Church , which was given to Saints Sebastian , Pirmin and Rochus . Alexius was the fourth patron.

literature

Josef Schorn: The earthquakes in Tyrol and Vorarlberg. In: Journal of the Ferdinandeum, III. Series, Issue 46 (1902), pp. 97–282 ( PDF (7.6 MB) on ZOBODAT )
Christa Hammerl : The four strongest earthquakes in Tyrol / Austria during XVIth and XVIIth centuries: from archival sources to macroseismic intensities. In: Acta Geodaetica et Geophysica, Volume 50 (2015), pp. 39-62, doi: 10.1007 / s40328-014-0083-3

Web links

350 years ago: The earthquake of July 17, 1670 in Tyrol. In: zamg.ac.at . 17th July 2020.

Individual evidence

^ Rudolf Oberhauser, Franz Karl Bauer (ed.): The geological structure of Austria . Springer-Verlag, Vienna 1980, ISBN 978-3-7091-3745-1 , p. 518-519 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-7091-3744-4 .
↑ Toni Kraft: The Seismicity of the Northern Eastern Alps. Diploma thesis, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, 1999
^ Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics: HAREIA - Historical And Recent Earthquakes in Italy and Austria
↑ Jessica Wehdorn: Church buildings used profanely: The building stock in Austria . Studienverlag, Innsbruck 2006, ISBN 978-3-7065-4378-1 , p. 139-140 .
↑ Episcopal Ordinariate of the Diocese of Innsbruck (Ed.): Directory: Regulations for the liturgy according to the Roman rite for use in the Dioceses of Innsbruck and Feldkirch for the year 2019 (from Advent 2018). Innsbruck 2018, p. 148 ( PDF; 1.5 MB )

[1] Rudolf Oberhauser, Franz Karl Bauer (ed.): The geological structure of Austria . Springer-Verlag, Vienna 1980, ISBN 978-3-7091-3745-1 , p. 518-519 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-7091-3744-4 .

[2] Toni Kraft: The Seismicity of the Northern Eastern Alps. Diploma thesis, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, 1999

[3] Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics: HAREIA - Historical And Recent Earthquakes in Italy and Austria

[4] Jessica Wehdorn: Church buildings used profanely: The building stock in Austria . Studienverlag, Innsbruck 2006, ISBN 978-3-7065-4378-1 , p. 139-140 .

[5] Episcopal Ordinariate of the Diocese of Innsbruck (Ed.): Directory: Regulations for the liturgy according to the Roman rite for use in the Dioceses of Innsbruck and Feldkirch for the year 2019 (from Advent 2018). Innsbruck 2018, p. 148 ( PDF; 1.5 MB )