Earthquake in Almaty
The Absence of Seismometers and the Complacency of Residents
Faithful, the ruins of the cathedral after the earthquake of 1887/Wikimedia commons
As the nineteenth century gave way to the twentieth, a great wave of awakening surged through Kazakh intellectuals, sparking a passionate quest for knowledge. This outpouring of intellectual zeal led to an explosion of new magazines and newspapers being published in Kazakh, heralding the dawn of a new era in sharing culture. However, what these intellectuals wrote went beyond only spreading knowledge. Soon, a variety of publications emerged, covering topics like business, society, politics, art, and humor. Qalam invites you to explore snippets from Kazakh publishing culture and history, offering a glimpse into the important issues of the past.
It is well-known that Almaty and its surroundings lie in a seismically active region. Thus, unsurprisingly, in Kazakh, the word zilzala (earthquake), borrowed from Arabic, is also used to mean disasters and calamities of any nature. Large and destructive earthquakes occurred in the city in 1887 and 1889, and as the new year of 1911 began, it was struck by the devastating Kemin earthquake on 4 January, which destroyed hundreds of homes and claimed dozens of lives. There were so many tremors that year that people had stopped reacting to minor shocks. This is noted in Issue № 76 (1911) of the Semirechesnskie Oblastnye Vedomosti:
Earthquake in Almaty
Seismic activity has significantly intensified in recent days. In Issue № 69 of the Regional Gazette, we reported two tremors of a magnitude of 6 on 26 March. On 27 March, at 2.30 a.m., there was a fairly prolonged ground movement and a tremor of a magnitude of 4. On 29 March, at 11.15 p.m., a significant 6-magnitude shock occurred. This was followed by a 4-magnitude vertical tremor at 4.30 a.m. on 1 April. On 2 April, there were two mild but prolonged ground tremors, and later that day, two noticeable quakes were recorded. Finally, on 3 April, a 4-magnitude shock was registered.
The less perceptible tremors go unnoticed by most of the public. It is unfortunate that Almaty still lacks a single seismometer, and the magnitude of the quakes continues to be determined using the Rossi-Forel scale.
Semirechesnskie Oblastnye Vedomosti (Semirechye Regional Newspaper)/from open access
The Semirechesnskie Oblastnye Vedomosti was launched in 1870 in Almaty. The publication frequently covered world and national news, local events, crime reports, and advertisements, being printed in both Russian and Kazakh.