The saros–marmara earthquake of 9 August 1912

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines one of the largest earthquakes in the Balkans in this century which remains hitherto imperfectly known and in need of evaluation. It shows that, given certain conditions, it is perfectly feasible to study in detail an earthquake that occurred three‐quarters of a century ago. This earthquake destroyed more than 300 villages and towns, killing over 2,000 people just north of the Dardanelles. The earthquake, which had a magnitude of M = 7.4, was associated with an oblique, 50 km long fault‐break, and with the liquefaction of river deposits at large epicentral distances. Landslides and fire added to the damage which can be expressed in terms of a damage ratio that in turn allows the establishment of a loss–intensity relationship. The results may be used to estimate losses to houses of similar type due to future earthquakes.