January 1850 Earthquake: Equatoria, South Sudan

The first earthquake reported in Equatoria occurred in 1850, most probably early in January. The information that has survived through oral tradition suggests that this was a major earthquake that caused widespread damage in the Dufile-Gondokoro Gorge, at the northern end of the Tanganyika-Nile Valley. It was reported to be associated with ground deformations, most probably faulting, and left a deep impression on the local tribes. Apparently as a result of the earthquake “small ranges of hills were thrown up and . . . existing rocky hills along the east bank of the Nile were much broken up, huge rocks falling from the upper crags”. There is no indication of where exactly this occurred beyond the fact that it happened in the tribal territory of the Baris, which occupies the east bank of the Nile and stretches for about 130 km along the gorge between Gondokoro and Dufile, and also that these ground deformations were found cutting across the hilly east bank of the Nile passing through Fagar, several kilometers from the river. The shock was so violent that people were thrown down and even native huts collapsed; in places, the ground liquefied and water was ejected from cracks. Aftershocks continued for several years. (reference #3790)