112 



CHAPTEE 



EATiTHQTTAKES OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY QUITO, 1797 SICILY, 1790 



CALABRIA, FEBRUARY 5, 1783 — SHOCKS CONTINUED TO THE END OF THE YEAR 

 1786 AUTHORITIES AREA CONVULSED — GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE DIS- 

 TRICT— MOVEMENT IN THE STONES OF TWO OBELISKS— BOUNDING OF DETACHED 

 MASSES INTO THE AIR— DIFFICULTY OF ASCERTAINING CHANGES OF LEVEL 



SUBSIDENCE OF THE QUAY AT MESSINA SHIFT OR FAULT IN THE ROUND TOM'ER 



OF TERRANUOVA — OPENING AND CLOSING OF FISSURES— LARGE EDIFICES EN- 



GULPHED DIMENSIONS OF NEW CAVERNS AND FISSURES GRADUAL CLOSING 



IN OF RENTS— DERANGEMENT OF RIVER COURSES— LANDSLIPS— BUILDINGS 

 TRANSPORTED ENTIRE TO GREAT DISTANCES— NEW LAKES— FUNNEL-SHAPED 

 HOLLO^YS IN ALLUVIAL PLAINS- 

 SHORE NEAR SCILLA INUNDxVTED - 



-CURRENTS OF MUD— FALL OF CLIFFS, AND 

 STATE OF STROMBOLI AND ETNA DURING THE 



SHOCKS ORIGIN AND ^lODE OF PROPAGATION OF EARTHQUAKE AA^VVES— DEPTH 



OF THE SUBTERRANEAN SOURCE OF THE MOVEMENT— NUMBER OF PERSONS 

 ATHO PERISHED DURING THE EARTHQUAKE OF 1 783 — CONCLUDING REMARKS. 



The earthquakes of the 18tli century which we have next 

 to consider are so numerous that a few of them only can 

 be mentioned. I shall select therefore such as are pe- 

 culiarly illustrative of geological changes, treating of the 

 more modern events first, and then of the others in retro- 

 spective order, accordin 



chapter for reasons there explained. 



Quito, 1797.— The convulsion of this year in Quito was 

 remarkable for the extent of country shaken, and for the 

 alterations caused in river courses, 

 floods of ' moya ' or fetid mud whicl 

 of the volcano of Tunguragua.^ 



to the plan observed in the last 



more 



Caraccas, 1790.— During an earthquake in Caraccas in 

 1790 the granitic soil on which the forest of Aripao grew, is 

 said to have sunk, giving rise to a lake 800 yards in diameter, 



80 to 100 feet in depth. The trees remained 

 several months under water. 



from 



^ Cavanilles, Journ. de Phys., tome xlix. p. 230. Gilbert's Annalen, bd. vi. 

 Humboldt's Voy. p. 317. 



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