July 8, 1895 Earthquake: Uzun-Ada, Turkmenistan

Reference #223 lists earthquake on July 8, 1895, 21:30 UTC, 39.5 N, 53.7 E, magnitude 8.2, intensity X, depth 60 km. The description is taken primarily from the study of I. K. Ivanovskiy [IIC-37]: "... The earthquake of June 27 [Julian date] was extremely powerful and hitherto unimaginable. This, evidently, is the first record of railroad tracks being destroyed in Russia.

"During the night, about 2:30 a.m. June 26 to 27 [Julian date], when most of the population of Uzun-Ada was asleep, everyone was awakened by a powerful series of tremors and by the terrifying creaking and shaking of the wooden structures. Those who had awakened wanted to jump out the windows onto the street, but many could not because they were thrown about and forced to crawl about on all fours.

"Those who jumped to the street saw that an entire part of the island of Uzun-Ada was rapidly being covered by water... Random buildings were filled with water... Such a shaking took place that it was impossible to move about..."

"Huge waves gushed from the sea and flooded the buildings and docks; in the streets fissures formed up to 1.8 m in width from which water poured forth in springs. Many buildings were destroyed, and several were cast into the sea. Fences were torn down. The same was true of oil-line pipes. On June 30 wagons were standing at an angle as a result of the gradual subsidence of the ground".

"...Everything is made of wood on the entire island of Uzun-Ada--railroad buildings as well as private homes. Perhaps this was the reason no one was killed....

"The destruction was extensive and varied... Most of the structures (standing) on piles... fell as a result of the tremor from the north, and the piles were split. Almost all the roads...were damaged, and several were displaced 1.6 m; others subsided up to 1.06 m... Transfer beams were completely broken, frame shafts split, and some shafts were broken in half.

"The track was blocked at several points between 8.5 and 25 km;... the ground settled and displaced 0.6- 1.6 m, and the dam settled up to 0.8 m.

"The most destructive damage to the road occurred between 94.5 and 108 km at a place where the railroad track intersects the Uzba River two times... An enormous number of fissures occurred in this spot, which extended from the mountains themselves (the Bol'shiye Balkhany) but remained far from the track and perpendicularly to the track... The width of the cracks did not exceed 15 cm... and all of them ran in a direction from north to south."

The following comes from a report to the chief of the Krasnovodsk district:...

"The Mikhailov station... There was a terrifying roar during the powerful shaking. The water in the harbor quickly swelled high and reached the railroad tracks. The ground sustained hairline fissures in several places from which hot water saturated with hydrogen sulfide poured forth. People who could not stand owing to the shaking of the ground crawled along the streets. The passengers and service personnel on steamships, which had been 31.5 km from Krasnovodsk... saw a water column in the sea and another one of black smoke"..."

"These powerful earthquakes lasted for several months. Reports and telegrams were continuously received that at a particular station on the part of the line between Uzun-Ada and Kazandzhik, tremors accompanied by an underground roar were occurring..."

The intensity of the earthquake was rated on the basis of the damage at the epicenter. The depth of focus was determined taking into account the considerable vertical and horizontal extent of the focus.

(above from ref #223)

Ref #3437 lists on July 8, 1895, 21:30 UTC, 39.5 N, 53.7 E, magnitude 8.2, depth 60 km.

Ref #1117 lists July 8, 1895, 22 hr, 39.9 N, 53.7 E, magnitude 7.5.

Ref #12412: magnitude could have reached an 8.