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 Destruction inConza della Campania after the earthquake | |
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| UTC time | 1980-11-23 18:34:52 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 635924 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 23 November 1980 (1980-11-23) |
| Local time | 19:34:52 CET[1] |
| Magnitude | 6.9Mw[1] |
| Depth | 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) |
| Epicenter | 40°50′N15°17′E / 40.84°N 15.28°E /40.84; 15.28[1] |
| Type | Dip-slip[2] |
| Areas affected | Italy |
| Total damage | US$20 billion ($73.9 billion in 2024, adjusted for inflation)[3] |
| Max. intensity | MMI X (Extreme)[1] |
| Casualties | 2,483–4,900 dead[2] 7,700–8,934 injured[2] 250,000 displaced[2] |
The1980 Irpinia earthquake (Italian:Terremoto dell'Irpinia) took place inItaly on 23 November 1980, with amoment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximumMercalli intensity of X (Extreme). It left at least 2,483 people dead, at least 7,700 injured, and 250,000homeless.
The earthquake struck at 18:34UTC (19:34local) on 23 November 1980, centered on the village ofCastelnuovo di Conza,Campania,Southern Italy.[4] The first jolt was followed by 90aftershocks. There were three main shocks, each withepicenters in a different place, within 80 seconds. The largest shock registered a peak acceleration of 0.38g, with 10 seconds of motion greater than 0.1g. The three main shocks combined produced 70 seconds of shaking greater than 0.01g. Thus the shaking was severe and lasted a long time.[5]
Thefocal mechanism corresponded to normal and significant left-lateral strike-slip movement. The rupture dimensions was estimated to be 14 km × 40 km (8.7 mi × 24.9 mi) based on the aftershock distribution.[6] The study of near-fieldstrong motion and leveling records revealed acomplex rupture process comprising three subevents. Overall, the rupture on complex fault systems propagated bilaterally along a mostly northwest–southeast trend.[7]
Towns in theprovince of Avellino were hit the hardest. InSant'Angelo dei Lombardi, 300 were killed, including 27 children in anorphanage, and 80 percent of the town was destroyed and many historical buildings were left in ruins as the town never fully recovered as of 2021. One hundred were killed inBalvano when amedieval church collapsed during Sunday services. The towns ofLioni,Conza della Campania (near the epicenter), andTeora were destroyed, and dozens of structures in Naples were levelled, including a 10-story apartment building. Damage was spread over more than 26,000 km2 (10,000 sq mi), includingNaples andSalerno.[5]
TheItalian government spent 59 trillionlire (equivalent to €151 billion in 2020) on reconstruction, while other nations sent contributions.West Germany contributed 32 millionUnited States dollars (USD) and the United States US$70 million.[8]
However, in the early 1990s a majorcorruption scandal emerged. Of the billions of lire that were earmarked for aid to the victims and rebuilding, the largest part disappeared from the earthquake reconstruction funds in the 1980s. Of the $40 billion spent on earthquake reconstruction, an estimated $20 billion went to create an entirely newsocial class of millionaires in the region, $6.4 billion went to thecriminalCamorra, whereas another $4billion went topoliticians in bribes. Only the remaining $9.6billion, a quarter of the total amount, was actually spent on people's needs.[9]
TheCamorra entered theconstruction industry after the quake.[10]
