June 1, 1961 Earthquake: Karakore, Ethiopia

A long seismic crisis began in Ethiopia at the end of May 1961 and continued till September; in four months, over 3,500 shocks occurred; the two major ones caused serious damage, particularly at Karakore (10 deg 32 min N., 39 deg 56 min E.) and at Majite (10 deg 44 min N., 39 deg 50 min E.). There were some 30 victims, most of whom were crushed beneath rock avalanches; mud houses built on eucalyptus wood frames stood up better than houses built of stone. Major landslides occurred, damaging roads and bridges; a deep fissure, in places 25 ft deep by 3 ft wide with a throw of 6 to 7 ft, formed over a distance of 30 to 40 km along the road from Addis Ababa to Asmara. The epicentral region (between Dessye and Ankober) is situated at the junction of the Ethiopian rift and the main NNW.-SSE. tectonic feature which forms the western limit of the triangular Afar depression. The seismicity of this region, which is considerable, may be related to the many faults and graben found to exist in the eastern part of Ethiopia. (reference #1040)

1961 June 1, 23:29:21.2 UTC, 10.4 N, 39.9 E, depth 33 km, magnitude 6.5. 5 killed, many injured, and village of Kara-Kore destroyed. Felt at Addis Ababa. (reference #45)

1961 June , Ethiopia, major destruction. (reference #1250)

1961 June 01, 10.54 N 39.89 E, magnitude 6.6 Ms. Kara Kore, Ethiopia. 160 people killed. Towns of Majete and Kara Kore destroyed. A magnitude M6.6 earthquake occurred some 200 km south of Kara Kore on 1 June 1961. The main Kara Kore earthquake was preceded by many foreshocks from 19 May 1961, while aftershocks continued until September 1961. The shaking from the earthquake was felt all over central Ethiopia, resulting in the complete destruction of the nearby town of Majete. Most masonry houses in Kara Kore collapsed, yet local Ethiopian houses built of clay and reinforced with a eucalyptus frame withstood the shaking very well (Gouin, 1979). The earthquake shaking also caused rockslides and landslides in the Kara Kore area, which blocked roads and pavements. Sykes and Landisman (1964) and Fairhead and Girdler (1970) located the event and its aftershocks. Field observations of surface fractures also helped to constrain the locations accurately (Gouin, 1979). (reference #13028)

1961 June 1, 23:29:25.63 UTC, 10.466 N, 39.717 E, magnitude 6.15 Mw. (reference #10476)