The tsunami not far off the Sicily coastline in the Mediterranean |
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Date | December 19, 2019 | |
Time | 0622 UTC | |
Duration | 5 minutes, 9 seconds | |
Magnitude | 8.9 (moment magnitude scale) | |
Depth | 9km | |
Epicenter | 35.9982° N, 5.6879° W | |
Type | Megathrust | |
Areas affected | Much of the Atlantic coastlines | |
Total damages | $129 billion | |
Maximum intensity | X | |
Foreshocks | 16 | |
Aftershocks | 1047 | |
Total casualties | 399 dead, 5765 injured |
The 2019 Gibraltar earthquake and tsunami was the worst earthquake in the Strait of Gibraltar since the 9.0Mw earthquake in November 1755. It caused a 15 meter tsunami to swipe across both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Tsunamis were recorded along the North Sea coastlines as well. The earthquake lasted an unprecedented 5minutes and 9 seconds, with shaking intensities of X being recorded along the coastlines oft eh Gibraltar Strait, leading to over $100 billion in damages, 399 deaths, and 5765 injuries being recorded form the event.