Date | July 11, 1927 |
---|---|
Origin time | 13:08 UTC |
Magnitude | 6.3 Mw |
Depth | 15 km (9.3 mi) |
Epicenter | 31°55′N 35°38′E / 31.92°N 35.63°ECoordinates: 31°55′N 35°38′E / 31.92°N 35.63°E |
Areas affected |
Mandatory Palestine Transjordan |
Total damage | Serious damage to Jericho, Ramle, Tiberias, Nablus and Jerusalem |
Max. intensity | V+ (Fairly Strong) |
Casualties | 287–500 |
The 1927 Jericho earthquake was a devastating event that shook Mandatory Palestine and Transjordan on July 11 at 15:08 local time. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the northern area of the Dead Sea. The cities of Jerusalem, Jericho, Ramle, Tiberias, and Nablus were heavily damaged and at least 287 were estimated to have been killed.
Vered and Striem (1977) located the earthquake epicenter to be near the Damya Bridge in the Jordan Valley, and close to the city of Jericho. Later research by Avni (1999), located the epicenter to be around 50 km south of this location near the Dead Sea.
The death toll in Jerusalem included more than 130 people and around 450 were injured. About 300 houses collapsed or were severely damaged to the point of not being usable. The earthquake also caused heavy damage to the domes of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The earthquake was especially severe in Nablus where it destroyed around 300 buildings, including the Mosque of Victory and the historic parts of the Great Mosque of Nablus. The death toll in Nablus included more than 150 people and around 250 were injured.
In Jericho, a number of houses collapsed, including several relatively new hotels in one of which three female tourists from India were killed.Ramla and Tiberias were also heavily damaged.
The most affected city in Transjordan was Salt in which 80 people were killed, in the rest of Transjordan another 20 were killed by the earthquake.
Destruction in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem
A destroyed house on the Mount of Olives
The destroyed Winter Palace Hotel in Jericho
Sources