1988 Spitak Earthquake

1988 Spitak Earthquake

The Spitak Earthquake (also called Leninakan Earthquake and Gyumri Earthquake) occurred in the northern region of Armenia (then part of the Soviet Union) on December 7, 1988 at 11:41 local time (07:41 UTC). The earthquake measured 6.8 on the surface wave magnitude scale and had a maximum perceived intensity of X (Devastating) on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale. The region that the earthquake occurred is vulnerable to occasional large and destructive earthquakes and is part of a larger active seismic belt that stretches from the Alps to the Himalayas. Activity in the area is associated with tectonic plate boundary interaction and the source of the event was a slip of a thrust fault just to the north of Spitak.

Seismologists thoroughly studied the effects of the event including the mainshock and aftershock fault rupture mechanisms and were on site setting up temporary seismometers before the end of 1988. Earthquake engineering experts scrutinized building construction styles and found fault in the poorly-constructed apartments and other buildings that were built during the Era of Stagnation under the rule of Leonid Brezhnev. The cities of Spitak, Leninakan (Gyumri), and Kirovakan (Vanadzor) were greatly affected with exceptionally large losses of life and damaging to devastating effects to buildings and other structures. A number of the smaller outlying villages away from the larger population centers were also severely affected.

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, the first such request since World War II. One hundred and thirteen countries sent substantial amounts of humanitarian aid to the Soviet Union in the form of rescue equipment, search teams and medical supplies, but private donations and assistance from non-governmental organizations also had a large part of the international effort. While transporting some of these supplies to the region, a Soviet aircraft carrying 78 relief workers from Azerbaijan and a transport plane from Yugoslavia were both destroyed in separate incidents while bringing aid to the region. In support of the relief effort, recording artists united to produce several music-related contributions for the victims of the quake. A one-off song was produced by a duo of French composers (one with Armenian ties) with the proceeds going to the rebuilding efforts and a studio album was released by the British music industry featuring songs that were donated by mainstream rock bands.