List of earthquakes in the Levant
This is a list of earthquakes in the Levant, including earthquakes that either had their epicenter in the Levant or caused significant damage in the region. As it is now, the list is focused on events which affected the territories of modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria and to some degree the adjacent areas of South Anatolia, Cyprus island and the Sinai Peninsula.
Seismic hazard
The Jordan Rift Valley is the result of tectonic movements within the Dead Sea Transform fault system. The DSF forms the transform boundary between the African Plate to the west and the Arabian Plate to the east. The Golan Heights and all of Transjordan are part of the Arabian Plate, while the Galilee, Judean and Samarian highlands, Coastal Plain and Negev along with the Sinai Peninsula are on the African Plate. This tectonic disposition leads to a relatively high seismic activity in the region.Earthquakes
The region has experienced many earthquakes, the most destructive ones being those of 31 BCE, 363 CE, 749 CE, and 1033 CE. Major earthquakes have included:- 140 BCE – disastrous earthquake between Tyre and Ptolemais
- 92 BCE – Judean coast hit by tsunamis
- 31 BCE – epicenter in the Jordan Valley, magnitude at least 7; among the largest in 2000 years. Josephus Flavius writes of 30,000 people killed. Damages Emmaus and Straton's Tower.
- 30–33 CE – An earthquake, identified in the geological strata of the Dead Sea and by Roman sources, reported by the Gospels to have taken place during the crucifixion of Jesus
- 115 – 115 Antioch earthquake; Yavne and Caesarea are hit by a tsunami
- 130 – strong earthquakes affect among other places Caesarea, Lydda and Emmaus. Different sources give varying dates: 129, 131
- 306 – tsunami on the Levantine coast. Affects or is felt in Caesarea, Tiberias, Jerusalem.
- 363 – the Galilee earthquake. See also next earthquake. The failed attempt of the Jews to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple during the reign of Emperor Julian is connected by some to the earthquake.
- 419 – earthquake causes destruction in Antipatris
- 502 – Ptolemais allegedly destroyed, tsunami hits northern coast, Safed, Latrun affected
- 526 – 526 Antioch earthquake
- 551 – affects much of the Middle East, possibly largest event in the Levant. Gush Halav is destroyed. A major tsunami sweeps the coast from Caesarea to Tripoli, Lebanon
- 633 – affects Emmatha in the Yarmouk Valley and possibly nearby Abila of the Decapolis.
- 658 – affects Syria and Palestine. Jerusalem is badly damaged according to the chronicles of Michael the Syrian and Theophanes the Confessor.
- 672 – Ascalon, Gaza and Ramla hit by strong earthquake
- 746–749 – a series of earthquakes, often confused into one. Tiberias, Baysan and Hippos were largely destroyed. A large event was centered in the Jordan Valley and had a magnitude of 7.6.
- 808 – An earthquake affects Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock is severely damaged.
- 846 – The Dome of the Rock is severely damaged by an earthquake.
- 847 – 847 Damascus earthquake
- 881 – 881 Acre earthquake. An earthquake on the Levantine coast leads to a tsunami at Acre
- 1015 – The dome of the Dome of the Rock collapses due to an earthquake.
- 1016 – Jerusalem, Jaffa and the region around are affected
- 1033–34 – a series of earthquakes which are felt for 40 days destroys Ramla, Jericho and Nablus
- 1063 – a large earthquake hits the Levantine littoral. Acre is badly damaged
- 1068 – ground-rupturing event in Wadi Arabah. Ramla was totally destroyed and lay abandoned for four years after losing some 15,000–25,000 inhabitants in the earthquake.
- 1070 – a large earthquake centered in the Beqaa Valley affects Palestine
- 1091 – coastal towns affected, city towers collapse
- 1138 – 1138 Aleppo earthquake
- 1157 – 1157 Hama earthquake
- 1170 – 1170 Syria earthquake: Caesarea damaged by tremor
- 1202 – 1202 Syria earthquake
- 1261 – between Akko and Tripoli islands disappear under the sea
- 1660 – Tiberias hit by an earthquake.
- 1752 – coast of Syria and Palestine hit by strong earthquake
- 1759 – Near East earthquakes of 1759
- 1834 – 1834 Jerusalem earthquake: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron are affected
- 1837 – Galilee earthquake of 1837, known as the Safed earthquake. The Roum fault, and its extension south to the Sea of Galilee, were sources of the event
- 1898 – Haifa damaged by earthquake
- 1927 – 1927 Jericho earthquake. The epicenter was in the northern area of the Dead Sea. Jerusalem, Jericho, Ramle, Tiberias and Nablus were heavily damaged and at least 500 were estimated to have been killed. The death toll in Jerusalem included more than 130 people and around 450 were injured. About 300 houses collapsed or were severely damaged to the point of not being usable. The earthquake caused heavy damage to the domes of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock being badly damaged. The earthquake was especially severe in Nablus where it destroyed around 300 buildings, including the Mosque of Victory and the historic parts of the Great Mosque of Nablus. The death toll in Nablus included more than 150 people and around 250 were injured. In Jericho, a number of houses collapsed, including several relatively new hotels in one of which three female tourists from India were killed. Ramla and Tiberias were also heavily damaged.
- 1956 – Chim earthquake: In the south of Lebanon in the Chouf District; 6,000 homes destroyed, and another 17,000 damaged; 136 persons killed.
- 2008 – A 5.1 earthquake shook South Lebanon, causing power outages and some building damage on February 15. Of several hundred responses to the USGS' "Did you feel it?" system, three reports from northern coastal Israel indicated that a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI was observed there. The oblique-slip shock was also felt lightly in Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Jordan.
- 2020 – A series of 4.7 earthquakes occurred at a depth of 20 kilometres in the eastern Mediterranean near Burj Islam, Syria.