1840 Ahora earthquake

The 1840 Ahora earthquake occurred on 2 July at 1600 local time, affecting Ağrı Province in the Eastern Anatolia Region of present-day Turkey and Armenia.[1] The earthquake had an epicenter near Mount Ararat, where it triggered an eruption and caused a landslide that destroyed villages. A total of 10,000 people were killed by the earthquake and its damaging aftershocks. Earthquake catalogs place the surface-wave magnitude at Ms  7.4 and Modified Mercalli intensity scale rating at IX (Violent).

1840 Ahora earthquake
Local date2 July 1840 (1840-07-02)
Local time16:00
Magnitude7.4 Ms
Epicenter39.6°N 44.1°E / 39.6; 44.1
Areas affectedOttoman Empire
Max. intensityIX (Violent) [1]
Casualties10,000 dead[2]

Tectonic setting

Ağrı Province in Anatolia 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, Arabian and Eurasian plates. Being at the junction of three tectonic plates, the region is prone to large shallow earthquakes, mainly of the strike-slip and thrust mechanism.[3] [4]

Earthquake

The magnitude 7.4 Ms  earthquake occurred along the flanks of Mount Ararat.[5] It triggered a large landslide on the northeastern flank of the volcano, forming the Ahora Gorge; a prominent feature. An eruption was triggered, melting the glacier on the summit, resulting in a lahar that buried villages. The lahar and landslide deposited near the base of the volcano creating a large alluvial fan.[6] In 2006, an academic study estimated 3 × 108 m3 of volcanic material and glacial melt flowed down the gorge at 175 meters per second.[7]

Impact

The earthquake and lahar killed all 1,000 residents and monks of Akory (Yenidoğan) and the Saint Hakob of Akori 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. Very few homes remained intact after the quake. Liquefaction and landslides occurred in the areas further away from Mount Ararat. Sand erupted from fissures in the ground. In Soviet Armenia, the village of Aralık and several military instillations were destroyed. 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.[1] The slide also temporarily dammed the Metsamor River. As many as 10,000 people may have been killed in the earthquake and the associated effects, including 1,900 inhabitants from Akhuri.[8][9][4]

1840 Mount Ararat eruption

A phreatic eruption occurred on Mount Ararat on the dat the earthquake struck. It generated a pyroclastic flow from fissure vents along the upper northern flank of the volcano and is possibly associated with the earthquake.[2]

See also

References
  1. NGDC. "Significant Earthquake Information". Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  2. Haroutiunian, R. A. (2005). "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 (in Russian). 58 (1): 27–35. ISSN 0515-961X. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  3. Bayrak, Yusuf; Öztürk, Serkan; Çınar, Hakan; Kalafat, Doğan; Tsapanos, Theodoros M.; Koravos, G. Ch.; Leventakis, G.-A. (2009). "Estimating earthquake hazard parameters from instrumental data for different regions in and around Turkey". Engineering Geology. Elsevier. 105 (3–4): 200–210. doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2009.02.004.
  4. 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. (2004). "Active faulting and natural hazards in Armenia, Eastern Turkey and North-Western Iran". Tectonophysics. 380 (3–4): 189–219. Bibcode:2004Tectp.380..189K. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2003.09.020.
  5. Nikolai V. Shebalin; Günter Leydecker (1997). Earthquake catalogue for the former Soviet Union and borders up to 1988. Nuclear Science and Technology Series. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. ISBN 92-828-1509-9. ISSN 1018-5593.
  6. Roberto Sergio Azzoni; Davide Fugazza; Carlo Alberto Garzonio; Kathleen Nicoll; Guglielmina Adele Diolaiuti; Manuela Pelfini; Andrea Zerboni (2019). "Geomorphological effects of the 1840 Ahora Gorge catastrophe on Mount Ararat (Eastern Turkey)". Geomorphology. Elsevier. 332: 10–21. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.02.001.
  7. A. Karakhanian; R. Jrbashyan; V. Trifonov; H. Philip; S. Arakelian; A. Avagyan; H. Baghdassaryan; V. Davtian (2006). "Historical volcanoes of Armenia and adjacent areas: What is revisited?". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. Elsevier. 155 (3–4): 338–345. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2006.04.008.
  8. Siebert, L., T. Simkin, and P. Kimberly (2010) Volcanoes of the world, 3rd ed. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 551 pp. ISBN 978-0-520-26877-7.
  9. Karakhanian, A.; Djrbashian, R.; Trifonov, V.; Philip, H.; Arakelian, S.; Avagian, A. (2002). "Holocene–Historical Volcanism and Active Faults as Natural Risk Factor for Armenia and Adjacent Countries". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 113 (1): 319–344. Bibcode:2002JVGR..113..319K. doi:10.1016/s0377-0273(01)00264-5.
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