The earthquake in Churwalden (CH) of September 3, 1295

Abstract

The location of the September 3, 1295 earthquake has so far been assumed to be in the Central Alps. It was assessed at an intensity VIII in the catalogue MECOS 99 in MSK. This event was recently analyzed within the "Revision of the Earthquake Catalog of Switzerland" (ECOS), a project carried out by the Institute of Geophysics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) from 2000-2002. Additional sources and newly interpreted information regarding observers, copies, place names and dating have now made it possible to more precisely locate the event at Churwalden and analyze its effects in more detail. The assessment of the intensity of VIII having been confirmed, this event is classified as one of the seven strongest quakes of the last millennium known in Switzerland.