1979 Tumaco earthquake
| 1979 Tumaco earthquake | |||
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| Coordinates | 1 ° 35 '53 " N , 79 ° 21' 29" W | ||
| date | December 12, 1979 | ||
| Time | 02:59 COT | ||
| Magnitude | 8.1 M W | ||
| depth | 23.6 km | ||
| epicenter | west of Tumaco in the Pacific
(75 km)
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| country | Colombia, Ecuador | ||
| Affected places |
Tumaco, Guapi, San Juan de la Costa, El Charco |
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| Tsunami | 3 m | ||
| dead | 454 | ||
| Injured | 1,000 | ||
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The 1979 Tumaco earthquake was one of the most devastating earthquakes in Colombian history to occur in the 20th century . At 2:59 a.m. on Wednesday, December 12, 1979, the earth shook in the south-western tip of the country. The event was felt in much of Colombia and caused a tsunami that hit the Pacific coast between Tumaco and Guapi . The quake claimed at least 454 dead, 1,000 wounded, many missing and had an impact as far as Ecuador .
It was an underwater earthquake whose epicenter was in the Pacific , about 75 kilometers west of the coast of the port of Tumaco in the Departamento de Nariño . The earthquake strength was measured by the control body at the time, the Colombian Geological Service , with a magnitude of 8.1 (M w ) at a superficial depth of 23.6 km.
consequences
As a result, a huge tsunami developed that affected the coasts of the two departments of Nariño and Cauca , mainly the area between Guapi and San Juan de la Costa . According to observations and testimony of survivors as witnesses, three large waves, each more than three meters high, appeared, causing people, animals, houses and furniture to disappear from the scene. By January 7, 1980 there had been a total of 36 aftershocks.
In a first civil defense report it was noted that around 450 people died and more than 1,000 people were injured along the entire coast; more than 2,500 houses were only damaged while 3,540 houses were completely destroyed.
The communities of El Charco , San Juan de la Costa, Mosquera and some coastal towns were completely destroyed. Reports indicate that more than 50% of the houses in El Charco were destroyed, as well as many buildings and sawmills. There alone there were more than 100 dead and around 400 injured.
In San Juan de la Costa, however, the concrete buildings were badly affected by the seismic wave, while the wooden buildings held up better. However, when the tsunami hit, all wooden houses were washed away by the waves. In this place the total number of deceased was 165 and about 280 houses destroyed, which was the total number of houses in this city.
In Tumaco itself, a large number of buildings collapsed, most collapsing due to the liquefaction of the soil, but were not seriously affected by the tsunami itself. Soil softening has also been observed on Gorgona Island , in Chacon, El Charco, in the Sanquianga National Park and San Juan de la Costa.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Colombia recuerda el poderoso el terremoto 12 de diciembre de Tumaco colombia.com. Accessed May 8, 2020 (es)
- ↑ Sismo del 12 de Diciembre de 1979 en el Pacífico Colombiano gc.gov.co. Accessed May 8, 2020 (es)
- ↑ Historia del Tsunami en Colombia osso.org.co. Accessed May 8, 2020 (es)
Web links
- Sismo del 12 de Deciembre de 1979 en el Pacífico Colombiano Servicio Geológico Colombiano. Updated May 8, 2020 (es)
- Karen Daniela Ferrín: 33 años después Tumaco recorre las huellas de trágico tsunami, historias de valientes. In: El País . December 12, 2012 (Spanish, eyewitness report).
- Colombia recuerda el poderoso terremoto el 12 de diciembre en Tumaco (es)
- Earthquake in Colombia