July 10, 1862 Earthquake: Accra,christiansborg,ashanti,akwapim, Ghana

1862 July 10, 08h 15m, Ghana; MF 6.5. The earthquake of 10 July 1862 was a major event. It was preceded by 17 distinct foreshocks during a period of 6 weeks, and almost totally ruined much of the coastal area of Ghana and Togo, as well as the inland areas of Akwapim and south Ashanti.

In Accra the African part of the town sustained the

greatest amount of damage, but because of the lightweight type of construction only three people were killed. In the European quarters even strongly built stone masonary houses were almost totally destroyed and public buildings were rendered uninhabitable. The forts of St James, Ussher and Christiansborg were shattered and being no longer habitable, they were evacuated. Near Accra the ground opened

up in places, particularly near the Fort of St James where a large crack was formed in the rocks. Damage extended along the coast to the east for more than 260 km, from Winneba in the west to Anecho in Togo in the east. At Gounkovhe, Kewe and Tove Mission the shock was strong enough to uproot and overturn trees and to cause water to slosh out of tanks. Near Agome-Sewe the shock was very violent; the water in

the nearby Mono river temporarily fell far below its normal level, presumably from slides that blocked its course further upstream. At Agotime and Botoe the shock was equally strong and at Gounkovhe the sea retired a distance of 80 m from the beach compared with the normal daily tidal change of 20 m. To the west of Accra the shock was strongly felt at the Fort of St George, Elmina and Cape Coast but without any

damage.

Contemporary sources make it clear that contrary to some recent reports, there was considerable damage further inland. Damage seems to have been particularly severe in the regions of Akwapim, Asante and in Dahomey where there was considerable concern among the natives of Abomey who responded to the phenomenon with human sacrifices. The earthquake appears to have been comparatively strong further

inland in the region of Si, 750 km north-northwest of Accra in the district of Dedugu where a number of adobe houses were cracked. The shock was widely felt in the Upper Volta and Mali, notably in the regions of Ira of the district of Dedugu, in the region of Molobala in the district of Segu and at Sokolo, a distance of 1200 km from Accra along the Niger. Indeed, if we trust contemporary reports, the shock

was perceptible at Dakar in Senegal, 2100 km northwest of Accra, and throughout Sierra Leone.

Closely spaced aftershocks continued till 15 h, some of them being felt more to the west of Accra, causing additional damage. The strongest later shocks occurred

on 11,12,19 and 28 July and also on 10 October. Minor shocks continued well into 1863. The earthquake paralysed commerce in Accra and trading stopped for many months. The town was

gradually rebuilt and the Fort of Christiansborg was

repaired and modernized into what is known today as

Christiansborg Castle.

In general, the lack of details for all areas outside

Accra make it difficult to determine the extent of the

epicentral area. However, the information we have of this event for the coastal region from European sources and the fact that the earthquake was reported from inland areas as far north as Mali and the Upper Volta, indicate a major earthquake, as confirmed by our value MF, which is at least 6.5.

(above from reference #1214)