What Really Happened With That Huge Earthquake In Armenia?

Armenia is located on the Alpine-Himalayan belt, or the Alpide belt, which is a seismic belt that runs from the Alps to the Himalayas, formed out of the tectonic collision between the Eurasian Plate and the Arabian Plate, per Earth Magazine.

According to Nature, not many seismologists thought that an earthquake as severe as the Spitak earthquake "was possible in the region." As a result, there were few seismic hazard studies done in the region.

But Armenia is not historically devoid of seismic activity and has seen numerous devastating earthquakes. In 735 A.D., the Vayots Dzor Province was struck by an earthquake with aftershocks that lasted for 40 days. Upwards of 10,000 people were reported to have been killed, mostly by the resulting landslides. The city of Dvin was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 893 A.D., with casualties ranging from 30,000 to 70,000.

In June 1679, an earthquake with an epicenter in Garni yielded aftershocks that lasted until October and at least 1,228 people died in the village of Kanaker. Countless churches and mosques collapsed, as did the 1st-century temple of Garni, though it was reconstructed with its original stones.

Throughout the 20th century, there were several earthquakes throughout Armenia, but none caused destruction comparable to the earthquake that struck Spitak in 1988.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB%2Bl29ncmpfrLWiwIyrnJqknK56qa3PqZynnZRixKrAx2aroZmkYrW2s8RmnJqqpJ2%2Btq3KnmSipl2Wv66xzaKYaA%3D%3D