Abstract
As a result of the relative motion of the African and European plates, Libya, located at the north central margin of the African continent, has experienced a considerable intraplate tectonism, particularly in its northern coastal regions. If the seismic activity of the last fifty years, at most, is known from instrumental recording, macroseismic effects of those earthquakes which affected Libya in the past centuries are still imperfectly known. To try and partly overcome this lack of information, in this contribution we present a short introduction to historical earthquakes in Libya, focusing on the period up to 1935. According to the studies published in the last twenty years, the earliest records of earthquakes in Libya are documented in the Roman period (3rd and 4th century A.D.). There is a gap in information along the Middle and Modern Ages, while the 19th and early 20th century evidence is concentrated on effects in Tripoli, in the western part of nowadays Libya. The Hun Graben area (western part of the Gulf of Sirt) has been identified as the location of many earthquakes affecting Libya, and it is in this area that the 19 April 1935 earthquake (Mw = 7.1) struck, followed by many aftershocks. Further investigations are needed, and some hints are here given at historical sources potentially reporting on earthquake effects in Libya. Their investigation could result in the needed improvement to lay the foundations of a database and a catalogue of the historical seismicity of Libya.
Highlights
The complex pattern of deformation between Eurasia and Africa, the corresponding plate motions and underlying driving forces, lead to strong variations in seismic hazard throughout the region
Concerning the effects of the 1883 event affecting the oasis of Ghadàmes and surroundings, an anonymous note that appeared in an Italian geographical journal has been retrieved (Anonymous, 1884)
From the date given according to the Libyan use, «end of the month of Chawâl» the earthquake could be dated in the Gregorian calendar «between 23 August and 2 September 1883» (Duveyrier, 1883 as reported by Anonymous, 1884)
Summary
The complex pattern of deformation between Eurasia and Africa, the corresponding plate motions and underlying driving forces, lead to strong variations in seismic hazard throughout the region. Libya, located at the north central margin of the African continent, has experienced a considerable intraplate tectonism in its northern coastal regions. The authors are aware that compiling a uniform catalogue of the earthquakes known to have affected Libya in the past centuries is a priority, and especially for seismic hazard assessment purposes, this article is an overview of the studies available to date on historical earthquakes in Libya, as the basis for establishing an international collaboration in this field. The earthquakes which affected Libya up to 1935, though not necessarily located in this country, are presented through a summary of the available information and with a specific reference to the most recent critical interpretation offered by a few studies published in the last twenty years. 1. After short considerations on these studies, the results of sample investigations and some suggestions on potential sources possibly dealing with earthquake effects in Libya are proposed
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