April 3, 1881 Earthquake: Cesme, Khios, Turkey, Greece

April 3, 1881 11h 30min, 38.25 N, 26.25 E, intensity = X-XI, magnitude = 7.3. An earthquake catastrophe in the island Khios, the villages in its SE part were completely destroyed, i.e. Neueta, Kalamoti, Kallimasia, Tholopotamion, Myrminghion, Neochori, Vunon, Phlatsia, Koeni, Didymoi, Kataraktis, Kato to Panagia, in total of the 64 villages of the island 25 were destroyed and in 15 villages serious damage was observed, 4181 inhabitants were killed, the northern part of the island was not damaged, i.e. the radius of the pleistoseismal area was small; felt at Izmir; subsidence of the ground by 0.8 m near Myrminghion, cracks, sand craters, landslides, changes in fountains, disaster reported also from the Cesme peninsula and Cesme district where 3460 houses collapsed and 3685 persons were killed, felt as far as Chalandrion, Foca, Athinai. Many strong aftershocks, from April 3 to April 9 about 250 aftershocks, among them 30-40 damaging or destructive ones. The most severe shocks were on:

April 5, further destruction of houses.

April 11, 06h, collapse of ruins.

April 11, 17h, destruction of the still standing part of the town Khios and of many other localities, two shocks of the same intensity (intensity = IX?)

April 12, 16h 30min, collapse of many damaged houses at Khios.

April 13, accomplishment of the destruction.

April 18, new ruins at Khios.

May 20, Intensity = VII-IX, some houses collapsed at Khios.

June 9, 07h, some damaged houses collapsed at Khios.

Aug. 26, Intensity = IX-X, terrible at Cesme, Lesvos.

(above from reference #1099)

March 1880 [probably describing the event on April 3, 1991], 38.4 N, 26.l E, intensity = IX-X. Heavy damage in the Khlos (Chios) island, 4000 victims, very probably an exchange for the catastrophic shock on April 1881. (reference #1099)

Two successive destructive earthquakes occurred in the island of Chios [...] The two consecutive shocks destroyed altogether 13 600 houses and killed 5058, injuring 1592 people in the island and in the Cesme peninsula. (reference #9116)

April 3, 1881, earthquake in Crete, 2,000 deaths. (reference #1051)

April 3, 1881, Asia Minor, Chios island, Kastro, center at Nevil and East Coast, 4,181 lives lost, intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts.. (reference #1055)

April 3, 1881, Scio-the town and several villages destroyed; about 4,000 perished; much destitution ensued; successive shocks, beginning 1:30 p.m. (reference #1073)

April 3, 1881, 11h 30 min, 38.25 N, 26.25 E, intensity XI. Chios (eastern Sporades), fissures, landslides, depression of coast, changes inw ell levels fountains, casualties. A very strong aftershock on April 11, 1881. (reference #1198)

April 3, 1881, 38.3 N, 26.2 E, intensity VI, at Chios and Cesme. (reference #1071). [Reference #1071 also lists March 1880, 38.4 N, 26.1 E, Chios Island, intensity IX. This might be describing the event on April 3, 1881]