1931 Valentine earthquake
The 1931 Valentine earthquake occurred on August 16 of that year with a moment magnitude of 6.5 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (severe). Though no casualties were reported, the quake caused damage to many homes and buildings in the town of Valentine. It remains the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Texas history.
  Valentine  | |
| UTC time | 1931-08-16 11:40:25 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 906944 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | August 16, 1931 |
| Local time | 05:40:25 |
| Magnitude | Mw 6.5 [1] |
| Depth | 10 km (6.2 mi) [1] |
| Epicenter | 30.66°N 104.37°W [1] |
| Type | Oblique-slip [2] |
| Max. intensity | VIII (Severe) [3] |
Damage
Every building in the town excluding those made from wood frames sustained damage. Many chimneys toppled or cracked following the quake. The local school facility was damaged beyond repair, and its yard sustained minor cracks. Buildings built with adobe had walls collapse, while wooden structures displayed cracked ceilings. Other walls consisting of concrete, brick, and similar materials had large cracks. Tombstones were reported to have been rotated somewhere within the town. Damage also occurred in the counties of Brewster, Culberson, Jeff Davis, and Presidio.[3]
Several landslides resulted from the tremor. Such incidents took place in the Van Horn Mountains, the Chisos Mountains, southwest of Lobo, near the Big Bend, and to the northwest near Pilares and Porvenir. In New Mexico, the Guadalupe Mountains also hosted landslides; in Picacho, rock- and mudslides were reported. Hydrologic issues occurred in several artificial water bodies, leading to muddied water.[3]
References
- ISC (2015), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009), Version 2.0, International Seismological Centre
- Doser, D. I. (1987), "The 16 August 1931 Valentine, Texas, earthquake: Evidence for normal faulting in west Texas", Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, Seismological Society of America, 77 (6): 2016
- Stover, C. W.; Coffman, J. L. (1993). Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised). U.S. Geological Survey professional paper 1527. United States Government Printing Office. pp. 362, 364.
Further reading
- Ni, J. F.; Reilinger, R. E.; Brown, L. D. (1981), "Vertical crustal movements in the vicinity of the 1931 Valentine, Texas, earthquake", Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, Seismological Society of America, 71 (3): 857–863
External links
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.