Abstract
Using contemporary and original documents from the Archivo General de Indias it has been possible to complete the data for the 18 October 1551 earthquake in Cuba. The seism took place at midday, approximately. It had foreshocks and aftershocks. In Bayamo, 7 inhabitants were injured, and the town was severely affected. Maximum seismic intensity was IX degrees on the MSK scale, and the area of perceptibility is estimated at 40,000 km2. Liquefaction processes and soil type in Bayamo contributed to the damage. This locality is in the Eastern region of the island, and continues to suffer the most and the strongest seismic events. The epicenter was in the southern marine area of the western segment of Oriente trough (19.6 N 77.8 W, h = 15 km, Ms = 6.6), where there is a crossing of faults, and neotectonics and focal mechanisms are affected by transtension, although the Bartlett-Cayman region’s tendency to left-lateral strike-slip movement is maintained, in the Caribbean and North American plate boundary zone.
Highlights
In previous papers we have shown that relatively large and destructive earthquakes have occurred frequently in the past along the Oriente fault system [1,2]
The epicenter was in the southern marine area of the western segment of Oriente trough (19.6 N 77.8 W, h = 15 km, Ms = 6.6), where there is a crossing of faults, and neotectonics and focal mechanisms are affected by transtension, the Bartlett-Cayman region’s tendency to left-lateral strike-slip movement is maintained, in the Caribbean and North American plate boundary zone
Regardless of the scarce amount of data contributed by Poey, it is possible to assert the following concerning the earthquake: 1) the important intensity value of the seismic event; 2) the repetition of large earthquakes in the Cauto zone; 3) Bayamo’s cost-reducing decrease and in consequence the low interest of the authorities, once the migration had started toward Santiago de Cuba and La Habana, and the Governor Residence had changed to La Habana
Summary
In previous papers we have shown that relatively large and destructive earthquakes have occurred frequently in the past along the Oriente fault system [1,2]. We will discuss an historic Cuban earthquake, which occurred in the year 1551 The information for this seismic event comes from contemporary sources, such as unpublished consular correspondence, official documents and damage claims, as well as from the observations of travelers who passed through the epicentral region during and after the earthquake. The Spanish colonizers and priests established Catholic churches throughout the island, in all the villages founded from 1512 onwards Many of these documents are available in the Archivo General de Indias (AI), Spain. In 1687, Cuban newspapers were published for the first time, initially issued in Santiago de Cuba and La Habana [5,6].
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