The 1946 Valais earthquake struck on January 25 at 17:32
local time
Local time is the time observed in a specific locality. There is no canonical definition. Originally it was mean solar time, but since the introduction of time zones it is generally the time as determined by the time zone in effect, with daylight s ...
with an epicenter region in
Sierre
Sierre (; german: Siders, ; frp, Siérro, ) is the capital municipality of the district of Sierre, located in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It has a population of 16,332.
Sierre is nicknamed City of the Sun (french: Cité du Soleil) for i ...
, near the capital city of
Sion
Sion may refer to
* an alternative transliteration of Zion
People
* Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name
Pl ...
in
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...
, a
canton in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude () of 6.2 and a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe'').
Earthquake
The earthquake immediately disrupted the supply of power in
Sierre
Sierre (; german: Siders, ; frp, Siérro, ) is the capital municipality of the district of Sierre, located in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It has a population of 16,332.
Sierre is nicknamed City of the Sun (french: Cité du Soleil) for i ...
, and other nearby populated centers in the
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...
canton. The tremors caused panic and drove residents out of their homes. Many homes suffered damage to their structure, with
chimneys
A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typic ...
destroyed, detached
roof tiles
Roof tiles are designed mainly to keep out rain, and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as terracotta or slate. Modern materials such as concrete, metal and plastic are also used and some clay tiles have a waterproof g ...
, and broken
facades. A newly-constructed church in
Chippis
Chippis is a municipality in the district of Sierre in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.
History
Chippis is first mentioned in the 11th century as ''Sepils''.
Geography
Chippis has an area, , of . Of this area, or 5.6% is used for agricu ...
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
Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie. ,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Twenty-one rockfalls, one major, occurred. The earthquake also triggered 11 landslides, four avalanches, and a number of ground effects along the
Rhône
The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
river valley. The landslides and rockfalls reportedly destroyed huts and barns near the mountainside. Damage was also reported in the district of
Vaud
Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...
in
Villeneuve. In
Château-d'Œx
Château-d'Œx () is a municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut.
History
Château-d'Œx is first mentioned in 1115 as ''Oit'', ''Oyz'', ''Oix'' and ''Oyez''.
Prehistoric settlements
Dur ...
, the quake knocked display items onto the ground at an art exhibition.
The total damage is estimated at 5.265 million
Swiss franc
The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the f ...
s in 1946, or 25.7 million in 2021.
Foreshocks and aftershocks
Three large aftershocks were recorded up till May 1946. The first two measured 5.2 and 5.1 on January 26 and February 4 were assigned maximum intensities VI to V. The largest occurred on May 30 with a magnitude of 5.9 and maximum intensity of VII.
The aftershock on May 30 triggered 22 rockfalls and three landslides.
Prior to the mainshock, two notable foreshocks occurred on November 10 and 13 with respective intensities V and IV on the
Rossi-Forel scale.
See also
*
List of earthquakes in 1946
This is a list of earthquakes in 1946. Only magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes appear on the list. Lower magnitude events are included if they have caused death, injury or damage. Events which occurred in remote areas will be excluded from the ...
*
List of earthquakes in Switzerland
*
List of earthquakes in France
This is a list of earthquakes in France and its overseas territories which directly impacted the country. Earthquakes in mainland France are rare but they do occur. In mainland France, the east of the country Alsace, Jura, Alps, the South-East Alp ...
References
{{Earthquakes in the 1940s
1946 earthquakes
Earthquakes in Switzerland
1946 in Switzerland
History of Valais
Sierre
Earthquakes in France
Savoie
Aix-les-Bains
1946 disasters in Switzerland