Chapter I: Preface

The present volume differs from a text-book of seismology in giving brief, though detailed, accounts of individual earthquakes rather than a discussion of the phenomena and distribution of earthquakes in general. At the close of his _Les Tremblements de Terre_, Professor Fouqué has devoted a few chapters to some of the principal earthquakes between 1854 and 1887; and there are also the well-known chapters in Lyell's _Principles of Geology_ dealing with earthquakes of a still earlier date. With these exceptions, there is no other work covering the same ground; and he who wishes to study any particular earthquake can only do so by reading long reports or series of papers written perhaps in several different languages. The object of this volume is to save him this trouble, and to present to him the facts that seem most worthy of his attention.

The chapter on the Japanese earthquake is reprinted, with a few slight additions, from a paper published in the _Geographical Journal_, and I am indebted to the editor, not only for the necessary permission, but also for his courtesy in furnishing me with _clichés_ of the blocks which illustrated the original paper. The editor of _Knowledge_ has also allowed me to use a paper which appeared four years ago as the foundation of the ninth chapter in this book.

CHARLES DAVISON.

BIRMINGHAM,
_January, 1905._

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. PAGE

INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER II.

THE NEAPOLITAN EARTHQUAKE OF DECEMBER 16TH, 1857 7

CHAPTER III.

THE ISCHIAN EARTHQUAKES OF MARCH 4TH, 1881, AND JULY 28TH, 1883 45

CHAPTER IV.

THE ANDALUSIAN EARTHQUAKE OF DECEMBER 25TH, 1884 75

CHAPTER V.

THE CHARLESTON EARTHQUAKE OF AUGUST 31ST, 1886 102

CHAPTER VI.

THE RIVIERA EARTHQUAKE OF FEBRUARY 23RD, 1887 138

CHAPTER VII.

THE JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE OF OCTOBER 28TH, 1891 177

CHAPTER VIII.

THE HEREFORD EARTHQUAKE OF DECEMBER 17TH, 1896, AND THE INVERNESS EARTHQUAKE OF SEPTEMBER 18TH, 1901 215

CHAPTER IX.

THE INDIAN EARTHQUAKE OF JUNE 12TH, 1897 262

CHAPTER X.