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The 1992 Cairo earthquake occurred at 15:09 local time (13:09 UTC) on 12 October, with an epicenter near Dahshur, 35 km south of Cairo. The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.8, but was unusually destructive for its size, causing 545 deaths, injuring 6512 and making 50,000 people homeless. It was the most damaging event to affect Cairo since 1847.[1]
Geology Cairo is sited within a diffuse zone of faulting that transfers extension from the Gulf of Suez Rift to the Manzala rift beneath the Nile delta.[2] Damage 250px The areas of greatest damage were in Old Cairo, Bulaq and southwards along the Nile as far as Gerza, on the west bank.[3] 350 buildings were completely destroyed and 9,000 other severely damaged. 216 mosques and 350 schools were badly damaged and about 50,000 people made homeless.[3] Most of the severe damage was confined to older masonry structures and particularly those built of adobe. Liquefaction was reported from areas near the epicenter.[1] The high number of deaths and injuries (545 and 6512 respectively) was partly due to the amount of panic caused by the earthquake in Cairo itself.[3] Damage was reported to have affected 212 out of a total of 560 historic monuments in the Cairo area.[4] A large block fell from the Great Pyramid of Giza.[3] In the days following the earthquake, many countries from around the world sent in worker's to help with the rescue efforts. Several complaints were lodged by the various foreign teams about the use of bulldozers to quickly clean up the rubble. The reports suggested that some of the bodies found in the wreckage might have still been alive before the bulldozers moved in. There was also controversy over the use of dogs, brought in by the French, to help find survivors amongst the ruins. Many of the Egyptian workers simply refused to work with the animals, or even allow them on site. In the end, most of the foreign teams left after only a few days of rescue efforts, frustrated with what they saw as a total disregard for potential survivors. Many fundamentalist Muslim groups in Cairo saw the earthquake as a sign from God. It is believed that it served as the main catalyst which sparked a dramatic increase in terror activity throughout Egypt. In the months that followed the earthquake, there were several incidents targeted at Westerners through Egypt. In one instance, an American tour bus exploded outside the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. On February 26, 1993, an Egyptian terror group detonated a bomb in the parking ramp of the World Trade Center in New York City, on that same day another bomb exploded in a caf just across the street from the American University in Cairo, also in Tahrir Square. The bomb was believed to have detonated prematurely as the bomber waited in the caf , just outside the main entrance of the University. The University itself was believed to be the prime target, designed to coincide with the bombing in New York. Earthquake characteristics The earthquake was felt throughout most of northern Egypt, in Alexandria, Port Said and as far south as Asyut, and in southern Israel.[3] The calculated focal mechanism suggests that this event originated on a WNW-ESE or W-E trending normal fault with a small strike-slip component.[5] The aftershocks extended about 11 km to the southeast of the main shock epicenter, indicating unidirectional rupture propagation. The estimated fault rupture length was also 11 km.[5] The earthquake consisted of two sub-events, the second located about 27 km SE of the first.[6] See also References ar: 1992 es:Terremoto de El Cairo de 1992 fa: ( )
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