1936 Cansiglio earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1936 Cansiglio earthquake was an earthquake
which occurred on October 18, 1936 in the region between the provinces of Belluno
, Treviso
and Pordenone
, in northern Italy
. It caused 19 deaths and an unknown number of injuries.
near the towns of Fiaschetti, Stevenà and Villa di Villa.
The earthquake was relatively low in magnitude (5.9 on the Richter Magnitude Scale
, but was rated as 9th on the Mercalli Intensity Scale
: the towns near the epicenter received extensive damage, most of their buildings made inhabitable or destroyed. The Cansiglio plateau is an agricultural high plain, where building were mostly made of poor materials and traditional techniques
The earthquake was felt in the whole northern and central Italy, in Slovenia
, Austria
and Switzerland
. While some sources report no casualties, other official sources list 19 deads . Aftershocks came frequently for a few days, and lasted until March 1937.
The hypocenter
was estimated in 15-18 km, much higher than the 37–51 km of other earthquakes in the area. The estimate is disputed, and a new estimate of 43 km was calculated with a macroseismic approach.
The region north of Cansiglio, called Conca d'Alpago, received severe damages, too: 50 to 70 percent of the buildings in the towns of Puos d’Alpago and Cornei received critical damage and became unfit for use.
The quake caused damage in Sacile
, Vittorio Veneto
and in the valleys of Livenza and Meschio rivers, with most of the residential buildings receiving some degree of damage. Belluno
, Conegliano
and San Vito al Tagliamento
, along with other 40 minor towns, reported some damage and a few collapsed buildings. Minor consequences were received by the cities of Bolzano and Venice
, mostly collapsed plaster and chimneys.
In Vittorio Veneto the Ceneda district was badly hit, four building collapsed, 40 critically damaged and over 300 in need of restoration works. The Seminary received so much damage it had to be partially demolished. Severe damage was sustained by many public buildings, includind the Cathedral
, the Carabinieri
headquarter, the Tax Office and the town hall. Total damage was assessed at 4 millions lire
. Due to the high damage sustained, Vittorio Veneto was later added, along with some nearby comuni
to the list of town subject to seismic risk.
The rebuilding, overseen by the city prefect Aldo Marinotti, was slow, and took over two years to start.
struck the area, its epicenter on the Alpago basin, damaging many town and cities including Belluno
and its province, where 40 people died. 54 other casualties were reported, including 38 people killed by the collpase of a church in San Pietro di Feletto during the morning mass
.
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
which occurred on October 18, 1936 in the region between the provinces of Belluno
Belluno
Belluno , is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about 100 kilometres north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomiti's region. With its roughly 37,000 inhabitants, it the largest populated area...
, Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
and Pordenone
Pordenone
Pordenone is a comune of Pordenone province of northeast Italy in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.The name comes from the Latin "Portus Naonis" meaning the port on the river Noncello - History :...
, in northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It caused 19 deaths and an unknown number of injuries.
Earthquake
The main shock came a few hours before dawn, at 4.10 a.m. its epicenter on the Cansiglio plateauPlateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
near the towns of Fiaschetti, Stevenà and Villa di Villa.
The earthquake was relatively low in magnitude (5.9 on the Richter Magnitude Scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
, but was rated as 9th on the Mercalli Intensity Scale
Mercalli intensity scale
The Mercalli intensity scale is a seismic scale used for measuring the intensity of an earthquake. It measures the effects of an earthquake, and is distinct from the moment magnitude M_w usually reported for an earthquake , which is a measure of the energy released...
: the towns near the epicenter received extensive damage, most of their buildings made inhabitable or destroyed. The Cansiglio plateau is an agricultural high plain, where building were mostly made of poor materials and traditional techniques
The earthquake was felt in the whole northern and central Italy, in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. While some sources report no casualties, other official sources list 19 deads . Aftershocks came frequently for a few days, and lasted until March 1937.
The hypocenter
Hypocenter
The hypocenter refers to the site of an earthquake or a nuclear explosion...
was estimated in 15-18 km, much higher than the 37–51 km of other earthquakes in the area. The estimate is disputed, and a new estimate of 43 km was calculated with a macroseismic approach.
The region north of Cansiglio, called Conca d'Alpago, received severe damages, too: 50 to 70 percent of the buildings in the towns of Puos d’Alpago and Cornei received critical damage and became unfit for use.
The quake caused damage in Sacile
Sacile
Sacile is a town and comune in the province of Pordenone, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of north-east Italy. It is known as the "Garden of the Serenissima" after the many palaces that were constructed along the river Livenza for the nobility of the Most Serene Republic of...
, Vittorio Veneto
Vittorio Veneto
Vittorio Veneto is a city and comune situated in the Province of Treviso, in the region of Veneto, Italy, in the northeast of the Italian peninsula, between the Piave and the Livenza rivers.-Geography:...
and in the valleys of Livenza and Meschio rivers, with most of the residential buildings receiving some degree of damage. Belluno
Belluno
Belluno , is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about 100 kilometres north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomiti's region. With its roughly 37,000 inhabitants, it the largest populated area...
, Conegliano
Conegliano
Conegliano is a town and comune of the Veneto region, Italy, in the province of Treviso, about north by rail from the town of Treviso. The population of the city is of around 36,000 people. The remains of a castle that was built in the 10th century remain on a nearby hill...
and San Vito al Tagliamento
San Vito al Tagliamento
San Vito al Tagliamento is a comune in the Province of Pordenone in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 80 km northwest of Trieste and about 20 km southeast of Pordenone.-Main sights:...
, along with other 40 minor towns, reported some damage and a few collapsed buildings. Minor consequences were received by the cities of Bolzano and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, mostly collapsed plaster and chimneys.
In Vittorio Veneto the Ceneda district was badly hit, four building collapsed, 40 critically damaged and over 300 in need of restoration works. The Seminary received so much damage it had to be partially demolished. Severe damage was sustained by many public buildings, includind the Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
, the Carabinieri
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
headquarter, the Tax Office and the town hall. Total damage was assessed at 4 millions lire
Italian lira
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
. Due to the high damage sustained, Vittorio Veneto was later added, along with some nearby comuni
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
to the list of town subject to seismic risk.
The rebuilding, overseen by the city prefect Aldo Marinotti, was slow, and took over two years to start.
Previous events
In June 29, 1873 an earthquake1873 Alpago earthquake
The 1873 Alpago earthquake was an earthquake that occurred near the Italian city of Belluno on June 29, 1873. This took place in the geologically active Alpago Valley of the Veneto region; the zone is rated as two on a four-degree risk scale . The 6.3 magnitude quake was rated as 10th degree on the...
struck the area, its epicenter on the Alpago basin, damaging many town and cities including Belluno
Belluno
Belluno , is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about 100 kilometres north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomiti's region. With its roughly 37,000 inhabitants, it the largest populated area...
and its province, where 40 people died. 54 other casualties were reported, including 38 people killed by the collpase of a church in San Pietro di Feletto during the morning mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
.