1988 Armenian earthquake

December 1988 earthquake in Armenian SSR, USSR

The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake (Armenian: Սպիտակի երկրաշարժ, Spitaki yerkrasharj), happened on December 7 at 11:41 local time with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X (Devastating).[1]

The shock happened in the northern region of Armenia. Between 25,000 and 50,000 were killed and up to 130,000 were injured.

Despite the tensions of the Cold War, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev formally asked the United States for humanitarian help within a few days of the earthquake.[2]

References change

  1. Harutyunyan, Arpi (December 7, 2007). "Still Recovering: A visit to the 1988 "center of the epicenter"". ArmeniaNow. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  2. Brand, David; Blackman, Ann (December 19, 1988). "Soviet Union: When the Earth Shook – A killer quake devastates Armenia, and the West responds with unprecedented aid". Time. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.(subscription required)