1946 Valais earthquake
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 Rockslide at the Combe des Andins | |
  | |
| UTC time | 1946-01-25 17:31:50 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 898227 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 25 January 1946 |
| Local time | 17:32 CET |
| Magnitude | 6.2 Mw |
| Epicenter | 46°24′N 7°30′E / 46.4°N 7.5°E |
| Max. intensity | MMI VIII (Severe) |
| Aftershocks | Three recorded. The largest was a 5.9 Mw |
| Casualties | 3 dead in Switzerland 1 dead in France |
The 1946 Valais earthquake struck on 25 January at 17:32 local time with an epicenter region in Sierre, near the capital city of Sion in Valais, a canton in Switzerland. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude (Mw ) of 6.2 and a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).[1][2][3]
The earthquake immediately disrupted the supply of power in Sierre, and other nearby populated centers in the Valais canton. The tremors caused panic and drove residents out of their homes. Many homes suffered damage to their structure, with chimneys destroyed, detached roof tiles, and broken facades. A newly constructed church in Chippis partially collapsed and had some of the remaining structures severely damaged and unstable. Despite the severity of damage, with 3,500 buildings damaged, there were very few injuries or deaths reported; three persons suffered fatal shocks and another was crushed to death by a car in Aix-les-Bains, France.[4] Twenty-one rockfalls, one major, occurred. The earthquake also triggered 11 landslides, four avalanches, and a number of ground effects along the Rhône river valley. The landslides and rockfalls reportedly destroyed huts and barns near the mountainside. Damage was also reported in the district of Vaud in Villeneuve. In Château-d'Œx, the quake knocked display items onto the ground at an art exhibition.[5] The total damage is estimated at 5.265 million Swiss francs in 1946, or 25.7 million in 2021.[6]