106 CHARLES DAVISON 
Fondo Macchia), and several others, more or less slight, in the 
following month, the series ending on August 23." 
The earthquake of August 8, 1894, differed in two respects 
from many Etnean earthquakes. It occurred while the volcano 
was in a state of only moderate activity, and it disturbed an area 
unusually large for the district, although small for a shock of such 
intensity. It was preceded by a violent shock at 1:58 P.M. on 
August 7, strongest at Fleri, Zerbate, etc., and felt generally at 
Catania and Zafferana, and by a few persons at Nicolosi and 
Trecastagni. Three other shocks followed in the meizoseismal 
area before the occurrence of the principal shock of the series at 
6:16 A.M. on August 8. By this shock, the villages of Fleri, Pisano, 
Zerbate, etc., were ruined. The meizoseismal area, about 4 miles 
long from northwest to southeast and 2 miles wide, is represented 
by the curve B in Figure 2. From this area, the intensity of the 
shock diminished outward rather, but not very, rapidly, the dis- 
turbed area including the whole base of Etna and probably on 
the whole as much as 800 square miles. Within or near the 
epicentral district, at least 15 after-shocks were felt before the end 
of the month.’ 
Few, if any, Etnean earthquakes have thrown so much light on 
the nature and origin of volcanic earthquakes as the remarkable 
series which culminated in the Linera earthquake of May 8, 1914. 
They have been studied by Professor G. Platania in one of the 
most valuable memoirs that we possess on volcanic earthquakes.’ 
In all respects except in the shallowness of the foci, they resemble 
true tectonic earthquakes. They were preceded and followed by 
long series of accessory shocks, and, along the axis of the meizo- 
seismal area, there were displacements of a pre-existing fault. 
Omitting instrumental shocks, the whole series contained 55 
earthquakes, 21 being fore-shocks from April 28 to May 7, and 33 
after-shocks from May 8 to June 4. Five of the fore-shocks and 
=A. Riccd, Boll. Soc. Sism. Ital., Vol. XVI (1912), pp. 27-31; M. Baratta, Boll. 
Soc. Geogr. Ital. (1894), pp. 12-13, and I Terremoti d’Italia, pp. 442-43. 
2M. Baratta, Boll. Soc. Geogr. Ital. (1894), pp. 6-9, 23. 
3 “Sul periodo sismico dei maggio 1914 nella regione orientale dell’Etna,” Pubdl. 
dell’Ist. di Geogr. Fis. e Vulcan. della R. Univ. di Catania, No. 5, 1915. 
