February 4, 1867 Earthquake: Cephalonia, Greece

1867, February 4, 04:19, 38.39° N, 20.52° E, h =n, M=7.4, Cephalonia (X, Lixouri). Large destructions occurred in the villages which are in the westem part of the island in the peninsula of Palike, where Lixouri is located and where only two houses were saved. The villages Katoe, Anoe, Nisochori, Thynnios, Dellaportata, Kouraklata, Metaxata, Kaligata, Schoenias, Aghia Thecla, Poriorata and Baroskes were entirely destroyed. 2,612 houses were destroyed, 2,946 suffered damage and at least 224 people were killed. Withdraw of the sea was observed before and after the earthquake. A very light sea wave was also observed. Fissures of the ground were observed and the widest of these crossed the pavement of Lixuri where the houses were pulled down entirely. Liquefaction phenomena were also observed and falls of rocks. In Argostoli, the houses which were in the seaside suffered damage and 4 of them were destroyed entirely. The earthquake caused much smaller damage in Ithake and in Leukada where 2 villages were destroyed. Negligible were the damage in Zante, Corfu, and in the neighbouring mainland. It was felt in an elliptic area whichis defined by Epidamnos (Dyrrachium), Olympus of Thessaly, Pagases, West Euboea, Kea, Maleas, Tarado and Otrado of Italy. Just before the earthquake, a horse in Argostoli cut its bonds, got out from the stable and started to run here and there. The earthquake was preceded in the night by some other shocks. The earthquakes continued for months and till the end of April there was no day without earthquake. Sorne of these were strong enough and were felt in Athens (Schmidt, 1867b; Vergotes, 1867; Spanopoulos, 1867; Ioseftypaldos, 1868; Alisandratos, 1962). (ref #4408)

1867, February 4, 04:15. A disastrous shock in the Ionian isIands, most damaging in the Keffalinia's peninsula Paliki, Lixodrion (Lixuri) and the small villages Anoge, Katokhi (Katoge), Mesokhora (Mesochorites) and Thinia almost completely destroyed, Argostolion heavily damaged, one third of houses collapsed, "the villages in Keffalinia thrown down, rockslides at the coast, large and deep fissures in the ground", about 200 victims, in total 2642 houses destroyed, in the district of Livathos four villages completely ruined, felt in Zhkinthos (severe), Levkhs (walls fissured, some houses ruined), Cap Skinari (some houses collapsed), the village Eugerea, Apollonia and Leuke (Lefki) seriously injured, in Ithhki severe, in Kbrkira (Corfu), at Misolongion (one house collapsed), at Phtrai, Athlnai (Athens), Tripolis, in the provinces Mantinea, Kaspakas, Acarnania, Lamla, Agrafa, etc. (PAT, FC, MCA), felt with Io = VII(?), at Vlore, Eibasan and Durres (MD), (GGM) gives Febr. 7 and many houses collapsed in some villages of Levkhs, (FC) gives Febr. 6 as the date of the greatest catastrophe in Greece since 1817, epicentre Paliki. (ref #1099)

1867, February 4, Kefalonia. Damage decreased rapidly away from Paliki and Argostoli, where the official return specified 3200 houses destroyed and 2600 damaged, and the loss of 223 lives. (ref #9116)

1867, February 4. This earthquake is well known for the extensive destruction that it caused on the island of Cephalonia. Authors who reviewed several sources available concluded that, on Zakynthos, the damage that was caused was insignificant and was confined in the village of Skinari in the northeastern part of the island. However, a press report from Zakynthos indicates that the damage to the island was more extensive. Namely, the report, which was published on 20 February, says the following: Correspondence from Zakynthos, 8 February 1867. . .Many houses in the villages of Zakynthos fell entirely. Most of houses in the city fissured. A part of rock in the north part of the island near the sea split in two pieces and fell. The shocks did not terminate until yesterday. (ref #13931)