Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
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Tectonophysics
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The 1748 Montesa (southeast Spain) earthquake — A singular event
E. Buforn a,b,⁎, A. Udías a, C. Sanz de Galdeano c, S. Cesca d
a
Dpto de Geofísica y Meteorología, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
IGEO, UCM-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
c
Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC - Univ. Granada). Fac. de Ciencias, 18071 Granada, Spain
d
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Helmholtzstrasse 7, 14467 Potsdam, Germany
b
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 8 June 2015
Received in revised form 31 August 2015
Accepted 4 September 2015
Available online 18 September 2015
Keywords:
Historical seismicity
Damages
Intensity
Synthetic accelerations
SE Spain
a b s t r a c t
The Montesa earthquake of 23 March 1748 in southeast Spain caused heavy damage and was felt over a wide
area. It occurred in a region considered of low seismic hazard where few large earthquakes have happened.
The abundant contemporary documentation about the damage caused by the earthquake, especially to the castle
of Montesa and the city of Játiva, allows a re-evaluation of the seismic intensity distribution giving a maximum
intensity I = IX (EMS-1998). The focal parameters are estimated as: origin time 6 h 30 m local time, epicentre
39.00°N 0.64°W, and magnitude 6. The spatial distribution of ground acceleration derived from intensity values
is modelled on a very shallow bilateral rupture of 10 km length with strike 60°, dip 45°, and rake 90°. This source
orientation agrees with the faults present in the area.
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
The traditionally known as “The Montesa earthquake of 1748” took
place in the south-eastern region of Spain, caused heavy damage, and
was felt over a wide area (Fig. 1). The name refers to the famous
Castle-Convent of Montesa which was totally destroyed by the quakes.
The main shock occurred on the 23rd of March and was followed by a
series of aftershocks, the largest on the 2nd of April. Despite the many
contemporary documents with descriptions about this earthquake, the
only detailed seismological study is that by Bisbal Cervelló (1984,
1995) which only analyses the damage it caused. Most earthquakes in
the Iberian Peninsula are of moderate magnitude (M b 5), and large
shocks (M N 6) occur separated by very long time intervals (Buforn
et al., 1988). Studies of historical earthquakes are therefore very important to be able to assess seismic hazard. In southern Spain, the three best
studied large historical earthquakes are those of Málaga (1680) (Goded
et al., 2008), Torrevieja (1829) (Canales-Martínez, 1999; Muñoz and
Udías, 1991), and Arenas del Rey (1884) (Udías and Muñoz, 1979).
These earthquakes had maximum intensities of IX or X. They were all located south of the Cádiz-Alicante fault system (Fig. 2a). The Montesa
earthquakes occurred outside this system, to the northeast. Today, the
area affected by the earthquake has a high level of industrial and tourist
⁎ Corresponding author at: Dpto de Geofísica y Meteorología, Universidad
Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
E-mail address: ebufornp@ucm.es (E. Buforn).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2015.09.005
0040-1951/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
development, including the city of Valencia and other important towns
such as Alcoy, Gandía, Játiva/Xátiva and Onteniente/Ontinyent (double
names correspond to the Spanish and Valencian languages) (Fig. 1a, b).
We consider the Montesa earthquake to be a singular event because
it occurred in an area with low seismicity, where in the past very few
large earthquakes had occurred. According to the Spanish Seismic
Code (Norma, 2002) this area is considered to be of low seismic hazard
with a characteristic acceleration of 0.07 g for a return period of 500
years. Recently, the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) has reevaluated this figure using probabilistic seismic hazard assessment
(PSHA), assigning the PGA a value of 0.16 g at Montesa, Játiva, and
Estubeny, the places suffering the greatest damage in the 1748
earthquake (Martínez Solares et al., 2013). The occurrence of recent
damaging earthquakes, such as those of L'Aquila (2009) or Haiti
(2010), in regions considered to be of low seismic risk, but where
in the past large shocks have occurred, highlights the importance
of carrying out detailed studies of historical seismicity in this type
of regions. In this paper, we present a re-assessment of the damage
caused by the 1748 Montesa earthquake using contemporary documents with a detailed study of the damage caused at the Castle of
Montesa and in Játiva, the largest town affected by the quake, and
a re-evaluation of the seismic intensities. We estimated the focal
parameters from known geological features and the intensity distribution and, using an empirical correlation, the distribution of
ground acceleration in the region. Finally, we propose a rupture
source model based on the intensity distribution and geological
features.
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E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
Fig. 1. Map of Spain. The studied region is marked as a square (a). Location of cities, towns and villages affected by the earthquake of 1748 (b).
2. Geological setting
The area affected by the Montesa earthquake is located in the SE part
of the Iberian Chain, near the Pre-Betic Domain (External Zone of the
Betic Cordillera). For this reason the southern part of the sector presents
structures, mainly folds, of NE–SW to ENE–WSW direction, while in the
northern part there are folds of predominantly NNW–SSE direction corresponding to the Iberian Chain Domain (Fig. 2a). Besides the cited
E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
folds, the area is also affected by NE–SW reverse faults verging to the
NW, and by two other sets of faults, one NNW–SSE and the other ESE–
WSW, of normal character, although in some cases probably also presenting lateral components of movement (Fig. 2b). These two sets
have determined the existence of two bands of tectonic weakness
(marked in salmon colour in Fig. 2b), occupied in great part by Triassic
sediments. These bands correspond to sectors affected by important
faults, some of which are not necessarily visible. This description corresponds well with the geological features of the sedimentary cover
directly observable in the field.
The lithological sequences comprise units from the Triassic to the
late Cretaceous–Paleogene, and another one ranging from the Miocene
to the Quaternary. This cover was deposited over the Paleozoic basement (eastwards continuation of the Iberian Paleozoic Shield; Fig. 2a).
In the area of Estubeny–Enguera–Montesa (Fig. 2b), the basement is
located at a depth of about 2.5–3 km depending on the thickness of the
cover (De Ruig, 1992; García Mayordomo, 2005). Thus, the question is
to elucidate whether or not there is a relationship between the geological features of the cover and the structures (faults) affecting the basement. The area is mainly characterized by thin-skinned tectonics, and
probably all or most of the folds and reverse faults existing in the area
correspond to this type of tectonics and are independent of the basement. However, the existence of long lines of normal and strike-slip
faults in the area suggests the possibility that the basement is also involved. In general, these faults are younger than the folds present in
the area (they cut the folds). The existence of faults affecting the basement and in some cases cutting the entire cover is also known in
141
other areas of southern Spain. An example is the Guadalquivir basin
(Fig. 2a) (Sanz de Galdeano et al., 2013). This means that thin-skinned
tectonics is not necessarily the only type existing in the study area and
in other nearby areas.
The relief of this area is formed in the southern part by two mountain
ranges (sierras) of NE–SW strike with the highest altitudes reaching
about 900 m: Tres Mojones–La Plana Sierra to the north and Sierra
Gorda to the south. Between the two sierras there is a valley traversed
by the Cañoles River on which Játiva, Montesa and many other villages
are situated. There is another valley to the north of the Sierra Tres
Mojones–La Plana where Enguera, Estubeny, Anna, and Sellent, the
places that suffered greatest damage in the Montesa earthquake, are
located (Fig. 2b).
3. Seismicity
Fig. 3 shows the large earthquakes that have occurred in the region:
historical, before 1900 (triangles) with maximum intensity IX and VIII;
and instrumental, from 1900 until 2014 (circles) with magnitudes larger than 4.8 (Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN): www.ign.es/ign/
layoutIn/sismoFormularioCatalogo.do, last accessed April 2015). Earthquakes to the north of latitude 38.5°N, that of the 1748 earthquake,
are concentrated near the coast, and form a group separated from
those more frequent to the south. To the west there is a broad region
with no seismic activity. The second group of epicentres is located
south of latitude 38.2°N extending to the SW. During the instrumental
period, no earthquakes with magnitude greater than 5.0 have occurred
Fig. 2. Main geological elements in the Iberian Peninsula (a). C–A Fault = Crevillente–Alicante fault system, AM Fault = Alhama de Murcia Fault. Geological setting of the area of the 1748
earthquake (b).
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E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
Fig. 2 (continued).
Fig. 3. Largest historical earthquakes taken from the IGN catalogue. Black triangles Imax = IX, light grey triangles Imax = VIII, dark grey triangles Imax = VII, black circles M N 4.8.
E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
to the north of latitude 38.5°N. However, during the historical period,
the same number of shocks occurred to the north and south of this latitude. The most notable historical earthquakes of the northern group
were the following (Fig. 3): in 348 B.C., an earthquake is reported to
have destroyed the prosperous pre-Roman city of Sagunto, as reported
by later historians (Udías, 2015); in 1396 an earthquake caused damage
to a wide area, including that affected by the 1748 shock, with the destruction of the Monastery of Valldigna (Tavernes de Valldigna)
(Fontserè and Iglésies, 1971, 88–94); in 1620 a series of earthquakes
took place which caused heavy damage in Alcoy, with the destruction
of several churches, and there was a repeat in 1644 (Fonserè and
Iglésies, 1971, 248–250, 253–254). Among the earthquakes of the
southern group, the most notable was the Torrevieja earthquake of
1829 with maximum intensity X and estimated magnitude 6.9
(Muñoz and Udías, 1991). In this area there has been a continuous activity of earthquakes with maximum intensities greater than VII (historical) and magnitudes greater than 4.5 (instrumental).
Fig. 4 shows the recent low magnitude (M N 2) earthquakes for the period 1990–2014 (IGN). The events have been more frequent south of latitude 38.5°N, as also was the case for the larger quakes (Fig. 3). In the
northern group, in the north-eastern part of the region shown in Fig. 4,
two alignments may be present — one SW–NE and the other NNW–SSE,
and these cross precisely in the area of the 1748 earthquake. These shocks
are at shallow depth, less than 40 km, and most of them are of very low
magnitude (less than M = 3). Seismicity continues off-shore but
epicentres there do not follow any precise distribution. Between longitudes 1°W and 2.5°W, and north of latitude 38.7°N, there is a region
with very low seismic activity; earthquakes reappear to the east of 3°W
(Fig. 4). South of latitude 38.5°N the epicentres are distributed following
mainly a NE–SW direction, parallel to the coast, and they may be associated with the Alhama de Murcia fault system (AM Fault), the main geological feature in this region (Fig. 2a). The large concentration of epicentres
located to the south in Fig. 4 corresponds to the Bullas (Aledo) series of
2002 and 2005 (Buforn et al., 2005; Martínez Solares et al., 2012).
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4. Documentary sources
There is abundant contemporary information about the damage
caused by the Montesa earthquakes of 1748. We have divided it into
three categories: contemporary publications with author, anonymous
contemporary publications, and manuscripts.
4.1. Contemporary publications with author
The most important published contemporary document is the report
by Esteban Felix Carrasco, an Army Officer and Aide-de-Camp of
Claude-Abraham de Tubieres, Marquis of Caylús, Captain General of the
Kingdom of Valencia, the highest authority in the region. Carrasco gathered the information from the news and reports about the earthquakes
sent to the Marquis of Caylus by the local authorities (governadores,
corregidores, and justicias) (Carrasco, 1748a) (Fig. 5). The report contains
detailed information about the damage suffered at 36 localities and brief
mentions of damage in another 30 in the three districts or provinces
(governaciones) of Montesa, Játiva, and Alcira. The report was translated
into Portuguese and published in Lisbon (Carrasco, 1748b). Two other
contemporary published documents are the following: Rafael Lombart,
physician at the castle of Montesa, wrote a day-by-day account of what
happened at the castle from 23 March to 8 April (Lombart, 1748), and
Josep Sarrió, a student of theology in Valencia at that time, wrote a short
account of the damage in the town of Anna where he travelled to on 25
March (Sarrió, 1762). Other descriptions of the earthquake are those of
Rausell Mompó (1748) and Ximeno (1748).
4.2. Anonymous contemporary publications
There are six anonymous accounts about the earthquake, two published in Valencia (Relación verdadera, 1748; Verdadera relación,
1748), two in Madrid (Relación de los estragos, 1748; Segunda
relación, 1748), one in Barcelona (Relación del Terremoto, 1748), and
Fig. 4. Seismicity for the period 1990–2014, M N 2.0 taken from IGN catalogue. Star shows the 1748 epicentre. Size of symbols is proportional to the magnitude.
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Fig. 5. Title page of the report by Carrasco (1748a, 1748b).
another in Lisbon (Relaçao do formidavel, 1748). The different places of
publication show the general interest aroused by the disaster. All the
documents describe the damage suffered by the Castle and Convent of
Montesa, which was completely destroyed by the earthquake, especially Relación del terremoto (1748). These accounts complement the information of Carrasco (1748a, 1748b).
4.3. Manuscripts
There are many manuscripts with information about the earthquake. The most important is the official report (informe) by the Deputy
Mayor of Valencia (Intendente de Valencia) Francisco Driget, Marquis of
Malespina, to the Secretary of Internal Revenue (Secretario de Hacienda),
Zenón de Somodevilla, Marquis de la Ensenada, with exhaustive information about the damage and an evaluation of its costs in 58 towns
and villages (Extracto, 1748). This report was used to fix the compensation for the damage approved by King Ferdinand VI in August 1748. The
total cost of the damage was estimated at 116,377 libras Valencianas
(the Valencian pound was a unit of account equivalent to 16 reales;
the 8 reales piece or real de a ocho was the common Spanish silver
coin equivalent to a silver dollar), but compensation was fixed only to
a total of 33,017 libras (28% of the estimated cost of the damage). For example, the cost of the damage in Játiva was estimated at 8055 libras, but
only 1688 libras were actually assigned (Alberola, 1995). An important
manuscript with information about the damage in the town of Játiva
is Autos de Visuras (Proceedings of Inspections) and Visuras de los
daños (1748) which presents the results of a visual inspection
(visura) of the damage suffered by 30 buildings, mostly public buildings, churches, and convents. Another important manuscript
(Relación de lo sucedido, 1748) gives a short report of the damage in
60 localities of the district of Játiva, in some cases with an evaluation
of the cost (Bisbal Cervelló, 1984).
Other important manuscripts that also give information about the
earthquake and the damages are: Autos en razón (1748), El
E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
145
Intendente de Valencia (1748), Informacion dada (1748), Relació del
terratrémol (nd), Relación de las desgracias (1748), Relacion de lo
sucedido (1748), Relación zircunstanziada de la ruina (1748), Relación
del terremoto (1748).
An important secondary source is that contained in the work of local
historians. Between 1874 and 1911, Sucias Aparicio wrote a variety of
historical notes about the province of Valencia which are preserved in
manuscript form. They contain valuable information about the damage
caused by the earthquake in many towns and villages (Bisbal Cervelló,
1984; Sucias Aparicio, 1876). In 1883, Vilanova published three articles
about the 1748 earthquake in which he reproduces some contemporary
documents (Vilanova, 1883). Sarthou Carreres also reproduces some
contemporary documents in his history of the town of Xátiva (Sarthou
Carreres, 1928; Sarthou Carreres, 1934). The earthquake has also interested recent historians who consider it from the historical and sociological points of view. Faus Prieto (1989) centres his considerations on the
ideas about the origin of earthquakes by contemporary authors who
wrote about this earthquake. Alberola (1995) gives very detailed historical information about the damage and the actions taken by the local
authorities involved, in particular, by Pedro Valdes León, Governor of
Játiva, and by Pedro Caro y Fontes, Marquis de la Romana, Governor of
Montesa, the Marquis of Caylús, Captain General of the Kingdom of
Valencia. They sent their reports to the Marquis de la Ensenada in
Madrid who then informed King Ferdinand VI. Alberola (2012) also considers the sociological aspects with the reactions of the people of the
towns and villages affected by the earthquake. He gives special attention to the reaction to the earthquake by ordinary people influenced
by popular religiosity, and to ecclesiastic interventions presenting the
earthquake as God's punishment.
Seismologically, the 1748 Montesa earthquakes can be found in the
early catalogues for the Iberian Peninsula (Galbis, 1932; Moreira de
Mendonça, 1758; Perrey, 1847; Sánchez Navarro-Neumann, 1921).
Fontserè and Iglésies (1971) present a more detailed treatment of
these earthquakes in their catalogue of earthquakes of Catalonia. The
most comprehensive analysis of the damage caused by the earthquakes
is that of Bisbal Cervelló (1984) who reproduces many of the contemporary documents and evaluates the intensities at 78 places. In the most
recent catalogue of historical earthquakes in the Iberian Peninsula
(Martínez Solares and Mezcua, 2002) there is a re-evaluation of the intensity distribution for this earthquake. Other recent studies centre on
detailing the geological ground effects of the earthquakes (GinerRobles et al., 2014; Silva and Rodriguez Pascua, 2014).
owner (casa del señor o dueño del lugar), of stone masonry, and the
people's houses of mortar and rubble masonry. No adobe was used in
this part of Spain (Seijo Alonso, 1979). According to the EMS-1998
scale, most of the buildings may be classified as vulnerability classes A
or B, and only some churches, convents, and official buildings as class
C (Grünthal, 1998).
Contemporary documents do not present the description of damage
with any great detail. Houses are said to be, from greater to lesser
damage, as: “destroyed” (asoladas), “collapsed” (desplomadas),
“ruined” (arruinadas), “shattered” or “broken” (quebrantadas),
“damaged” (maltratadas), “uninhabitable” (inhabitables), “threaten
ruin” (amenazar ruina), or “impaired” (consentidas). These descriptions
may in some way be comparable with the five grades of the classification of damage to masonry buildings of the EMS-1998. However, this
type of description leads to a certain ambiguity in the assignation of intensity degrees. Damage to churches, however, is described more specifically. For example: “part of the vault or dome fallen”, “walls
ruined”, “arch fallen”, or “apertures and cracks in vaults and columns”.
The number of houses affected is given in an approximate form as
“all”, “almost all”, “most”, or “some”. Another problem is that the damage includes also that due to the largest aftershock of the 2nd of April,
considered to have been as large as the main shock. Thus, estimated intensities include the damage due to the two shocks. Using the EMS1998 scale (Grünthal (1998)), in accordance with the type of construction, we assigned a maximum intensity IX for places with all or most
houses ruined or devastated and some collapsed, and the so-called
house of the owner and the churches and convents with major damage.
Bisbal Cervelló (1984) made a first evaluation of intensities at 78
places extending from X to V, using the MSK-1964 macroseismic scale
(Medvedev et al., 1965). Of these, 34 were evaluated directly from the
descriptions of damage and 44 calculated from the assigned cost of
damage, using as a relation between cost and intensity that obtained
for the first 34. Martínez Solares and Mézcua (2002) made a reevaluation of the intensities using the EMS-1998 scale giving values for
83 places, extending from grade IX to V and for 30 more where it caused
slight damage (given as D) or where it was only felt (given as S). We
have re-evaluated the intensity at 76 localities directly from the descriptions given in contemporary documents, using the EMS-1998 scale. It
should be borne in mind that the descriptions of damage in the
documents do not give much detail, so that evaluation of intensities is
subject to uncertainties and to the problem of the cumulative
damage from the largest aftershocks.
5. Intensity evaluation
5.1. Places with greatest damage
The Montesa earthquake occurred in a region with a high density of
towns and villages. A 1735 census (Padrón Demográfico) gives the size of
the towns and villages in terms of the number of family units (vecinos)
(Camarena Mahiquez, 1966). In total, there is information about the
earthquake corresponding to 118 towns and villages, including those
where the shocks were only felt but without there being any damage.
Among those which suffered damage, there were six towns with more
than 2500 inhabitants (multiplying by five the family units given in
the census to convert them to population numbers): Onteniente/
Ontinyent (6850), Játiva/Xátiva (6010), Alcira (4770), Carcagente/
Carcaixent (4475), Algemesí (3905), and Ollería (3060). There are 14
villages with between 500 and 2500 people; 41 villages with between
150 and 500 people; and 26 villages of fewer than 150 people. Of the
87 localities with reported damage, 67 (77%) had fewer than 500 people, so they were fairly small villages.
The building types in the towns were parish churches and convents
(larger towns might have several convents), official buildings (town
halls), and houses of well-to-do persons, made of dressed or rough
stone or of stone and brick masonry, and the ordinary people's houses
of weak mortar and rubble masonry. In small villages, buildings are
specified as of three types: the parish church, the house of the lord or
The localities that are given in contemporary documents with the
greatest damage and to which we assign intensity IX are: Estubeny,
Sellent, Anna, Chella, and Enguera (Figs. 2b and 6).
Estubeny was a small village of only 50 people and 11 houses, a small
church, and the lord's house (Figs. 2b and 6). Everything was devastated
including the lord's house and the church. A crack was produced in the
ground of 29 m length and 21 cm wide, “so deep its end could not be
reached” (Carrasco, 1748a). Sellent of 97 people is 3 km to the NE of
Estubeny, and is said to have all houses and church ruined, and one person dead and one injured (Figs. 2b and 6) (Carrasco, 1748a, 1748b).
Damage is said to have been equal to that of Estubeny (Segunda
relación, 1748). People abandoned both villages. In the Extracto, the
two villages are the only ones declared as “total ruin” (ruina total)
(Extracto, 1748). Anna located about 2.5 km to the west of Estubeny
was somewhat larger with 370 people (Figs. 2b and 6). Damage is reported in five accounts (Carrasco, 1748a, 1748b; Relación de los
estragos, 1748; Relación verdadera, 1748; Sarrió, 1762; Segunda
relación, 1748). In the church, the vault collapsed and the tower was
ruined, the house of the owner and all the others were heavily damaged,
and three persons died in their houses. The shock of the 2nd of April
completed the destruction, and the village was abandoned. Chella is
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E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
Fig. 6. Localities affected by the earthquake of 1748 and with reported damage.
3 km to the NW of Anna, a village of 264 people (Figs. 2b and 6). The
church threatened ruin, four houses collapsed, and the rest with that
of the owner were left uninhabitable; the village was abandoned
(Carrasco, 1748a, 1748b).
Enguera was the largest town of the heavily damaged area with
1638 people and a flourishing textile industry (Figs. 2b and 6).
Carrasco (1748a, 1748b) gives a detailed description of the damage.
The church of cut or massive stone suffered ruin of the tower, fall of
the vault of the sacristy, and ruin of seven arches which supported the
main vault. The Carmelite convent was ruined. A great part of the houses were ruined, and some threatened ruin. The shock of the 2nd of April
completed the destruction: some chapels of the church were ruined, as
well as the houses damaged by the first shock. Accounts of the damage
are also given in Relación de los estragos (1748), Segunda relación
(1748), and Relación verdadera (1748).
The Verdadera relacion (1748) states that Sellent, Enguera,
Estubeny, and Canals were almost totally ruined. One can thus conclude that the greatest damage extends along a length of about
10 km in a NE–SW direction, from Sellent to Enguera.
A group of 11 villages, namely Cotes, Cárcel, Benegida/
Beneixida, Alcudia, Canals, Novele, Rotgla, Granja, Vallés, Torrellá,
and Ayacor (each with fewer than 500 people) are located very
close together, occupying an area of about 4 km by 3 km southeast
of and near to (about 5 km distance) the area of greatest damage
(Fig. 6). The damage they suffered is described as the church
ruined, the house of the owner partially ruined, and the other houses devastated, ruined, damaged, or threatening ruin. All these villages were abandoned after the earthquake, and people went to
live in the fields in huts and tents. We have assigned them intensity
VIII.
The total number of casualties was 38, of which 22 were in the castle
of Montesa and the rest in different villages.
5.2. Destruction of the Castle-Convent of Montesa
The Castle-Convent of Montesa (Figs. 2b and 6) was built on a rocky
hill separated from the nearby sierra. It was originally a thirteenth century
Moorish castle, to later come under the occupation of the Knights Templar
(Sarthou Carreres, 1951). In 1317, it became the see of the newly created
Military Order of Montesa. The church, cloister, chapter-rooms, and other
dependencies were built around about 1360 (Fig. 7). At the beginning of
the eighteenth century, the Castle-Convent was a very impressive compound of buildings, surrounded by high walls of dressed stone of 3.5 m
thickness, occupying an area 500 m long (EW) and 215 m wide (NS).
The church of dressed stone in Gothic style with pointed arches
had walls of 3.4 m (16 palmos) thickness in the lower part and
1.7 m (8 palmos) in the upper part, with a square tower to the east
with walls of 4.6 m (20 palmos). Next to the church were the cloister
and the chapter rooms (Fig. 7). All accounts described the total destruction of the convent-castle (especially Carrasco, 1748a, 1748b; Lombart,
1748; and the Relación del terremoto, 1748). The church's southern
wall, built on the edge of the hill, collapsed bringing down the vaults
and rest of the building. The same occurred to the cloister and the chapter
rooms on the same side (Fig. 7). The aftershock of the 2nd of April completed the destruction with the collapse of the still standing walls. In the
main shock, 18 people died (most of them in the church), and four
E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
147
Fig. 7. Drawing of the plan of the Castle of Montesa before the earthquake.
Modified from Plano Castillo de Montesa (1730), Centro Geográfico del Ejército. Archivo Cartográfico y de Estudios Geográficos,
Sign. Ar.G-T.3-C.2-235.
more in the 2nd of April aftershock. Thus 22 people died in the castle of
Montesa of the total 38 dead in the earthquake. Remains of the castle
ruins are still to be seen today (Fig. 8).
Carrasco (1748a, 1748b) assigns the destruction of the castle to its
defective construction. He singles out first the inhomogeneous nature
of the terrain of the hill with rocky and soil parts of different solidity
and the fact that the southern wall of the church which fell completely
was set on the edge of the hill. He adds the excessive height of the
church walls, the heavy vaults, and the lack of buttresses to sustain
the main arches. He writes that had the church had good buttresses it
would not have suffered so much adding that the church in Canals (at
5 km) with good arches and buttresses did not suffer any great damage.
He assigns the same defects to the other buildings of the castle. We
agree with Carrasco because the castle of Montesa is situated on an isolated and prominent hill formed by late Miocene calcarenites, and the
site effects were necessarily very important, although the epicentre
was as close as it was to Estubeny or Sellent. The village of Montesa itself
(550 people) had the church and most houses ruined, with only a few
left standing, but nevertheless uninhabitable. There were five people
dead and many injured. People abandoned their houses and went to
Fig. 8. Present state of the ruins of the Castle of Montesa.
148
E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
live in tents and huts in the fields. The collapse of a great part of the castle can be assigned to a combination of the conditions of the terrain and
the characteristics of the buildings, especially the church, rather than to
very strong ground shaking. Considering also the damage in the village,
we assign VIII–IX as the average intensity.
5.3. Damage in the town of Játiva
The town of Játiva/Xátiva with 6010 inhabitants in 1735 was the
largest city near the epicentral area (at a distance of about 6 km). Damage due to the earthquake is described in the contemporary reports by
Carrasco (1748a, 1748b), Relación de estragos (1748) and Segunda
Relación (1748). Sorthou Carreres (1928, 1934), based on contemporary documents of the archives of the town of Játiva, gives a very detailed description of the damage especially to the churches, convents,
and public buildings. Carrasco (1748a, 1748b) assigns the damage in
part to the poor construction of the houses and to the even poorer materials (Mala construcción de sus casas y peores materiales). In 1707 the
city had suffered a widespread fire in the siege by the troops of Phillip
V in the War of the Spanish Succession. According to Carrasco, in the
earthquake 229 houses suffered damage, but only 4 totally collapsed,
while 90 needed major repairs and 135 had damage to roofs and
walls. He specifies the damage to the Main Church (Iglesia Colegial), a
late Gothic building of dressed stone, which had cracks in the dome
and the walls of the transept and needed repairs to the main door. The
same is said of four other churches and convents (Santa Tecla which
had to be pulled down, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Santo Domingo, and
La Merced) (Fig. 9). Carrasco (1748a, 1748b) assigns the ruin of Santa
Tecla to its faulty construction. The City Hall suffered damage to the
tower, roof, and walls; the Hospital needed repairs; and the Customs Office needed major repairs. Relacion de estragos (1748) mentions the
partial ruin of the castle, and specifies the damage to the Main Church
and to the convents of La Merced with the dome ruined, San Francisco,
and Santa Clara (Fig. 9). All three convents had to be abandoned, and the
Main Church could not be used. The report states that great parts of the
houses were abandoned.
Sarthou-Carreres (1934) reports the results of an inspection made
after the earthquake by the military engineer Juan Bautista Trench, ordered by the Marquis of Caylús. He gives the damage to four public
buildings – the City Hall, Hospital, Customs, and Almudín (the city's granary) – that needed repairs. The Main Church suffered cracks in its
dome, front, and walls, especially in the transept. He details the damage
to the eight convents of the city. This varied from some cracks in domes
and walls to ruin. Some were abandoned. Special attention is given
to the convent of Santa Clara, a building of the fourteenth century
reformed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, because of
the controversy between the nuns who left the convent and the
town council about the damage and who would have to pay for
the repairs. The reported damage to the buildings of the town
shows no particular distribution (Fig. 9). From this description we
conclude that there were no observable site effects in Játiva. Only
four houses are reported to have totally collapsed, and the differing
damage suffered by the buildings may have been due to the construction which Carrasco (1748a, 1748b) considered to generally
be very defective. Of the ten churches and convents, only one
(Santa Tecla) is described as being in danger, was therefore closed,
and a great part would have to be pulled down, or at least reinforced. The damage to the others is limited to cracks of different
sizes in domes and walls. Thus the overall intensity for the town is
estimated as VIII.
5.4. Lower intensities
The large number of villages with descriptions of damage to the east
of the epicentral area (Fig. 1) allows their damage to be evaluated as
from intensities VII to IV (felt). We estimate damage at intensity VII
for localities at distances between 15 km and 35 km, most of them to
the east of the region of greatest damage. Because the region to the
west is sparsely inhabited, one has very little data available (Fig. 1).
Fig. 9. Eighteenth century plan of the city of Játiva.
Modified from Pérez Ballester (2006).
E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
149
Fig. 10. (a) Intensity map of Montesa 1748 earthquake. (b) Intensity map of the area of the largest damage of the Montesa 1748 earthquake (square on a).
The earthquake was reported to have been felt without causing damage
in Valencia, Alicante, Orihuela (Carrasco, 1748a); in Venisa, Xabea,
Calpe, Denia, Gandía, Castellón (Relación de Estragos, 1748); and in Valencia, Orihuela, Murcia, Alicante, Xabea (Segunda Relación, 1748).
These localities are at distances between 40 km and 115 km from the
epicentral area.
5.5. Intensity map
The intensities estimated in this study are plotted in Fig. 10. The map
is not very different from that of Martínez-Solares and Mezcua (2002).
The main differences are the extension of the intensity IX area to
Enguera and the location of the boundary between the areas of intensity
VIII and VII (Fig. 10b). Relative to the map of Martínez-Solares and
Mezcua (2002), the present map has also been extended to include
the area where the shock was only felt (Fig. 10a). The intensity map is
better defined towards the region east of the area of greatest damage
(Estubeny–Enguera) up to the coast where the population density is
greatest. There is very little information with which the intensity map
can be constrained to the west due to the almost complete lack of villages. One observes in these maps that places with intensity VIII correspond to a region southeast of an Estubeny–Enguera line. The total
area with intensities greater than VI corresponds approximately to a
region of 43 km by 33 km. The shock was felt at distances of up to
150 km away (Fig. 10a). Corbera, located 30 km NE of Estubeny
(Fig. 10b), was reported to have had major damage: “church and lord's
house almost ruined, out of 23 houses 15 are totally ruined, all the rest
uninhabitable” (intensity VIII) (Carrasco, 1748a, 1748b). This is an isolated case for that distance, and may have been due to local site effects.
Fig. 11 shows the relationship between intensity and distance together
with the attenuation laws obtained by Martin (1984) and López Casado
et al. (2010) for eastern Spain. For this event, Martín's law (1984) fits
the observations better.
Table 1 presents the comparison of the intensities assigned by Bisbal
Cervello (1984) (hereafter BC), Martínez-Solares and Mezcua (2002)
(hereafter MSM), and the present study for intensities greater than VI,
ordered by distance from the area of greater damage. BC assigns
Estubeny intensity X because of the observed ground rupture, but this
is a secondary effect not contemplated in EMS-1998. MSM assigns
Anna, Chella, and Enguera intensity VIII, but contemporary accounts describe the same damage for all five places (Anna, Estubeny, Sellent,
Chella, and Enguera). The estimate of the damage in Montesa (castle
and town) is better estimated, being VIII–IX considering the destruction
of the castle due to its construction and location as explained above. We
agree with MSM for localities with intensity VIII, although MSM assigns
VII–VIII for some of them. The intensity IX assigned by BC to four locations (Cotes, Navarres, Alcantara, and Beneixida) is an overestimate.
And the overestimate is even greater for BC's assignation of intensity
IX to Olleria, Guadasquies, Mogente, and Onteniente when compared
with MSM and the present study (VI and VII). BC also gives intensity
VIII to places where MSM and the present study give VI or VII.
6. Source parameters
Fig. 11. Relation of attenuation with distance. Continuous line (Lopez Casado et al. 2010),
dash-line (Martin, 1984).
The date and time of the main shock are given by most of the contemporary accounts as 23 March 1748, at 06:30 h local time. It is said
150
E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
Table 1
Estimated intensities for Montesa 1748 earthquake.
Town
B
MSM
This study
Anna
Estubeny
Chella
Enguera
Sellent
Montesa
Llanera de R.
Torella
Alcudia de C.
Cerdá
Canals
Torre Cerda
Ayelo de M.
Ayacor
Granja de la C.
Vallada
Torrente de F.
Rotgla
La Losa
Cotes
Navarrés
Anahuir
Alcantara de X.
Beneixida
Novele
Xátiva
Manuel
Villanueva de C
Genoves
Olleria
Alberique
Guadasquies
Puebla del D.
Mogente
Sempere
Benisuera
Benegida
Onteniente
Carcagente
Alcira
Bocairente
Rafol de S
Corbera
Rugat
Simat de V.
Tabernes
IX
X
IX
–
IX
IXIX
–
–
IX
–
–
–
VIII
–
–
VIII
–
–
–
IX
IX
–
IX
IX
VIII
VIII
–
–
VIII
IX
–
IX
–
IX
VIII
VIII
–
IX
VII
VII
VIII
–
–
VIII
VII
VIII
VIII
IX
VIII
VIII
IX
VIII–IX
VIII
VII–VIII
VII–VIII
VIII
VII–VIII
VII–VIII
–
VIII
VII
VII–VIII
VIII
VII–VIII
–
VIII
VII–VIII
VII–VIII
VII–VIII
VII–VIII
–
VII–VIII
VII
VII
–
VII
–
VII
–
VII
VII–VIII
VII
–
VII
VI
VII
VII
VII
VII–VIII
–
VI–VII
–
IX
IX
IX
IX
IX
VII–VIII
VIII
VIII
VII
VIII
VIII
VII
VIII
VIII
VIII
VIII
VIII
VIII
VIII
VII–VIII
VII–VIII
VIII
VIII
VIII
VIII
VII
VIII
VII
VII–VIII?
VII
VI
VI–VII
VII
VII–VIII
VII
VI
VII
VI–VII
VII
VII
VII
VIII
VI
VII
VI–VII
B: Bisbal Cervelló (1984).
MSM: Martínez-Solares and Mezcua (2002).
to have been felt in Valencia at 06:45 h (6¾ h, Carrasco, 1748a, 1748b).
A more precise time is given for Játiva — 06:33 h (Autos de Visuras,
1748). The duration in Valencia is given by Carrasco (1748a, 1748b) as
2 min. Other accounts give the duration as between one Credo and
one-and-a-half Credos (the time taken to recite the Credo — a Christian
recitation of faith known as the Apostles' Creed which is also used as a
prayer and takes about 45–50 s to recite), i.e., somewhere between
1 min and one-and-a-half minutes. There is no mention of any foreshock. All accounts refer to aftershocks felt every day after the main
shock. One specifies more than 80 felt in Játiva, but without giving the
time interval (Segunda relación, 1748), especially one on the 28th of
March at 03:00–04:00 h in the morning. The largest aftershock occurred
on the 2nd of April at 21:00 h or 21:30 h followed by another on the 3rd
of April at 03:00 h. The shock of the 2nd of April is said to have been as
large as the main shock but with less duration (Carrasco, 1748a, 1748b),
and to have contributed to the damage of the buildings already affected
by the main shock (acabó de derribar lo que aun quedaba en pie, Lombart,
1748). Aftershocks are reported to have continued up to the 8th of April
when another intense shock was felt between 21:00 h and 22:00 h
(Relacion verdadera, 1748).
The source area can be defined by that of intensity IX extending from
Sellent to Engera (Fig. 10), with a length of 10 km in the NE–SW direction. A macroseismic epicentre could be positioned at a point to the SW
of Estubeny of coordinates 39.00°N, 0.64°W. This would imply a bilateral rupture in directions towards Sellent in the NE and Enguera in the
SW. This differs a little from the epicentre given by Martinez-Solares
and Mezcua (2002) at Estubeny (39°02′N, 0°38′W) using the method
of Bakun and Wentworth (1997). Recently Mezcua et al. (2013), using
the same method, obtained 38.91°N, 0.58°W, and a depth of 15 km. In
our estimate of the epicentral location, we took into account not only
the intensity distribution but also the topographic and geological features as will be described in the next section.
The magnitude has been estimated using a relationship between
maximum intensity and magnitude (Martinez-Solares and Mezcua,
2002), giving a value of 6.2 using the method of Bakun and
Wenthworth (1997) and 5.9 (Mezcua et al., 2013) by the same method.
Our estimate takes the maximum intensity IX to correspond to magnitude of about 6 — uncertainties in historical earthquakes do not allow
greater precision (Gurdeutsch, Kaiser and Jentzsch, 2002).
7. Acceleration distribution and source model
In order to check the focal parameters that had been obtained and a
source model proposed for this earthquake, we determined an approximation to the peak ground horizontal accelerations (PGA) from the intensity values. Among the existing relations we use the correlation
given by Murphy and O'Brien (1977) for southern Europe (although
that relationship is for Modified Mercalli Intensities, it can be used for
EMS-1998) (PGA in cm/s2) (Fig. 12):
logPGA ¼ 0:24I þ 0:57:
For the area of maximum intensity (I = IX), the acceleration is
5.37 m/s2 or 0.55 g. For our purpose, there is not great difference for
values obtained using other empirical relations (for example, using
Faenza and Michelini (2010) based on Italy data, for I = IX gives PGA
6.87 m/s2). This maximum acceleration value is similar to the values
of between 4.36 m/s2 and 10 m/s2 observed in the L'Aquila earthquake
(M = 6.3) for epicentral distances of less than 5 km (Çelebi et al.,
2010). Accelerations greater than 3 m/s2 are concentrated in a small
area about 25 km long and 11 km wide (Fig. 12). The area to the west
is poorly defined due to the lack of information (Fig. 10). Although we
are comparing different types of values, the maximum acceleration obtained for Montesa derived from intensity of 0.55 g is a much greater
value than the PGA of 0.16 g (for a 475 year return period) recently
assigned to this area using PSHA methodology by Martínez Solares
et al. (2013).
The Montesa earthquake reached its greatest intensity in the area of
Sellent, Estubeny, Anna, Chella, and Enguera (Fig. 10b). According to the
distribution of these localities, the epicentral area probably was situated
in the about 13 km long NE–SW band from Sellent to Enguera. The possible localization of the fracture area located in this NE–SW band leads
one to think that this band might really be connected with a fault
zone affecting the basement. This would agree with the model based
on the distribution of accelerations proposed for this earthquake. The
topographic relief in the NE–SW direction (Sierra Tres Mojones–La
Plana; Fig. 2b) shows a fault on its northern border that extends from
Enguera to Estubeny and Sellent where this structure presents a termination. The main fault rupture in the earthquakes will then be that corresponding to this structure. From Estubeny in a NNW–SSE direction
there is another system of faults which is coherent with the damage in
Anna and Chella (Fig. 2b). A short segment of this fault could also
have been activated during the earthquake.
We first modelled the earthquake using a point source approximation in order to assess its depth and moment release. We fixed the normal fault mechanism to have strike N60°W, dip 45° to the SW, and rake
E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
151
Fig. 12. Spatial distribution of maximal horizontal accelerations derived from intensities (left), synthetic accelerations for a point source model (centre) and from extended source model
(right).
90°. Note that the fault and auxiliary planes of these focal mechanisms
correspond to the two possible expected rupture scenarios, in which
the strike and rake are constrained by the known fault structures and
the dip is unknown, with candidate faults in the epicentral region dipping to both NE and SW. We considered source depths from 2 km to
12 km, computing synthetic acceleration seismograms using a crustal
velocity model for Southern Spain (Cesca et al., 2006) and the Kiwi
tools (Heimann, 2011) with band-pass filters of 0.02 Hz to 10 Hz,
extracting the maximal horizontal acceleration.
Since the scalar moment only scales the seismograms and hence the
acceleration amplitudes, the best scalar moment can be inferred by
minimising the differences between the estimated and the modelled intensities. The resulting misfit (expressed as an L2 norm) is used to determine the best solution. It is important to mention that our approach
uses a one-dimensional (1D) model and cannot account for any site effects since it models the spatial pattern of maximal amplitude only as a
consequence of the radiation pattern and source depth. The moment estimate is also affected by the rupture's duration, and hence involves
major uncertainties. To model the high-frequency accelerations, which
may better reproduce the values estimated from the intensities, we
chose a very short duration of 0.5 s.
The best solution was the shallowest one (at 2 km). It predicts a moment magnitude of Mw 5.9 (Fig. 12). This value is most likely a lower
bound since it would be greater with a longer duration of the source
time function. In order to further improve the fit of the spatial acceleration distribution and to derive other source parameters, we extended
the modelling to a finite source (Cesca et al., 2010; Heimann, 2011).
We constrained the source model to a single patch of 8 km length and
4 km width, testing two possible dip angles of 45°, one towards the SE
and the other towards the NW, and 8 propagation modes, including a bilateral rupture and unilateral and asymmetric unilateral ruptures propagating both laterally and upwards/downwards.
The selected rupture size is consistent with an earthquake of magnitude 6, with a corresponding maximum slip of about 0.5 m (Wells and
Coppersmith, 1994). Since the scalar moment is poorly known, we
again selected the preferred model by comparing the misfits between
the estimated and the modelled accelerations for the best fitting scalar
moment. We modelled the source of the earthquake as a bilateral fracture of 10 km length and 3 km width in a normal fault with strike
N50°W dipping 45° to the SW (strike 60°, dip 45°, rake 90°). This is
the roughly subsurface rupture length and width corresponding to an
earthquake of magnitude 6, with a corresponding maximum slip of
about 0.5 m (Wells and Coppersmith, 1994). The rupture nucleates
slightly below the centre, and propagates laterally with a bilateral rupture propagating towards the NE and SW, and upwards. On the basis
of this model, we calculated the expected peak ground accelerations,
and compared them with those derived from the intensities (Fig. 12).
There was a significant improvement in reproducing the spatial pattern
by considering a finite source model. In particular, the finite model better explains the differences between the higher near-field accelerations
observed NW of the epicentre and the lower values on the other side of
the fault. In our model, this is attributable to the fault dip orientation,
with the fault reaching the surface NW of the epicentre and deepening
towards the SE. On the other hand, the lack of any strong asymmetry
in the peak NE/SW accelerations rules out any concomitant strong lateral directivity effect.
8. Conclusions
The 1748 Montesa earthquake occurred in a region with low seismic
activity, but where large earthquakes had indeed occurred in the past.
From the contemporary documents, we have estimated a maximum intensity of IX in the region from Sellent to Enguera. We located the
macroseismic epicentre at a point to the SW of Estubeny, of coordinates
39°N, 0.64°W, and an Mw magnitude of 6.0, although these values must
be taken as an approximation since they were obtained using intensity
data estimated from the available contemporary reports which may
well be subject to uncertainties. The proposed rupture model obtained
from the spatial distribution of accelerations derived from the estimated
intensities corresponds to a bilateral fracture of 8 km length propagating towards Sellent in the NE and towards Enguera in the SW. This
would be a normal fault striking N50°W with a fault plane dipping 45°
to the SE.
Although these are different types of values to be compared, as already mentioned, the acceleration values (0.55 g) derived from the reported maximum intensities for this earthquake are greater than the
characteristic acceleration of 0.07 g for a return period of 500 years of
the Spanish Seismic Code (Norma de la Construcción Sismorresistente
Española, NCSE-02, 2002) for this area and the PGA value (0.16 g) proposed for this region by the recent PSHA study of Martínez Solares
et al. (2013). Such a major difference should be taken into consideration
in the estimation of the seismic hazard for this region.
152
E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
Acknowledgements
This work has been partially supported by the MINECO, project
ALERTES-RIM (CGL2013-45724-C3-1-R) and by the Programa de
Financiación UCM-Santander Ayuda a Grupos de InvestigaciónValidadod
GR3/14. The authors want to thank to Dr. Martínez Solares (IGN) who
provided some historical documents, Prof. A. Felipo from Universidad de
Valencia and Dr. J. Cerdá who provided information about Játiva and
Montesa cities at 1747, M. López Brú who provided information about
house types at the region and Dr. R.A. Chatwin who revised the English
text.
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Contemporary publications with author
Carrasco, Esteban Félix, 1748a. Relación puntual, circunstanciada de las ruinas y extragos
causados por los Terremotos que se sintieron en varias partes del Reyno de valencia,
los días 23 de Marzo, y 2 de Abril de 1748. Sacada de las noticias, testimoniadas,
remitidas por los Governadores, Corregidores, y Justicias al Excmo. Señor Duque de
Caylús, Governador, y Capitan General de este dicho Reyno y el de Murcia. Imprenta
de la Viuda de Antonio Bordazar, Valencia.
Carrasco, Esteban Félix, 1748b. Relaçao verdadeira com todas as circunstancas das ruinas
e estragos que causarao os terremotos em varias partes do Reyno de Valença nos días
vinte e tres de Março…deste presente anno de 1748.por D. Estavao Felix Carrasco e
agora traduzida em Portuguez. Manoel da Silva, Lisboa.
Lombart, Rafael, 1748. Terremotos de 1748 (Extracto de la relación que dejó escrita Rafael
Lombart, Médico de la Real Casa de Nuestra Señora de Montesa y que se halló
presente en la tragedia). In: Alcoy, S. Botella (Ed.), Novenario a Nuestra Señora de
Montesa, p. 1928.
Rausell Mompó, Vicente, 1748. Crónica de los Padres Bernardos de Simat de la Valdigna
recogida por Don Vicente Rausell Mompo.
Sarrió, Joseph, 1762. Memoria y breve relación de los grandes estragos y ruinas que
padeció esta Villa de Anna y su comarca en el año del Señor de 1748, causados por
los terremotos que acaecieron en dicho año. Por Joseph Sarrió, maestro en artes y
Dr. en la Sagrada Teología: (Quinque Libri - de este Archivo Parroquial, al terminar
el Libro de Bautismos en el año 1762). Copia verdadera y propia de su original
E. Buforn et al. / Tectonophysics 664 (2015) 139–153
trasladada por Mn. Francisco Sanchiz, Presbítero y beneficiado de esta parroquia de la
Villa de Anna en el año 1804.
Ximeno, Vicente, 1748. Relación verdadera de los terremotos padecidos en el Reyno de
valencia desde el día 23 de Marzo del año 1748 y de las Rogativas que se hacen en
la ciudad de valencia y en otras partes del Reyno á Dios Nuestro Señor para que
aplaque su ira y cesse este castigo. Joseph Estevan Dolz, Valencia.
Anonymous contemporary publications
Anonymous, 1748a. Relaçao do formidavel, e lastimoso terremoto succedido no Reino de
Valença no dia 23 de Março deste presente anno de 1748 pelas 6 horas e tres cuartos
de mahná e dos horrorosos estragos e lemantaveis ruinas que tem padecido a
Ciudade de Valença. Capital daquelle Reino e mais Lugares circumvisinhos, conforma
as noticias communidas até o dia 27 do memos mez ao Capitao General, Acebispo e
Intendente e as que succesivamente vao chegando á Corte de Madrid, de donde se
comunicarao a esta de Lisboa. Officina de Francisco Luiz Ameno, Lisboa.
Anonymous, 1748b. Relación de los estragos y desgracias que en el Reyno de Valencia ha
ocasionado el nunca visto uracán y temblor de tierra sucedido en el día 23 de Marzo
de este año a las siete menos cuarto de la mañana según las noticias comunicadas
hasta el 27 del mismo al Capitán General, Arzobispo e Intendente y las que
sucessivamente van llegando a esta Corte por las cartas recibidas en ella. Phelipe
Millan, Madrid.
Anonymous, 1748c. Relación del terremoto, y sus efectos, que padeció el Sacro Convento
de Montesa, en el día 23 de Marzo de 1748. Joseph Texidò, Barcelona.
Anonymous, 1748d. Relación verdadera de los terremotos padecidos en el Reyno de Valencia desde el día 23 de Marzo del año 1748 y de la Rogativas que se hacen en la
Ciudad de Valencia y en otras partes del Reyno à Dios Nuestro Señor, para que se
aplaque su ira, y cesse este castigo. Joseph Estevan Dolz, Valencia.
Segunda Relación de las noticias que últimamente se han recibido de los estragos
causados en todo el Reyno de Valencia desde e dia veinte y tres de Marzo que
empezaron los primeros Uracanes y Terremotos hasta la noche del dia dos de Abril
en que se repitió según se refiere en las Cartas del 3 del mismo, de este año de
1748. Madrid: Viuda de Sanchez Pardo.
Verdadera relación de los estragos, sustos, ruinas y fúnebres sucesos, que se
experimentaron el dia 23 de Marzo del presente año de 1748 en la Villa, y Castillo
de Nuestra Señora de Montesa, como también en la Ciudad de San Felipe, y en
diferentes partes de este Reyno de Valencia. Compuesta por la medrosa pluma de
un afligido corazón. Valencia: Imprenta de Cosme Granja.
Manuscripts
Autos en razón de las ruinas que han causado los terremotos en las señoría de Manuel y
Novele que pertenecen a la rehedificación de los hedificios maltratados à el Dueño de
dicho lugar. Archivo Histórico de Xátiva (Reproduced in Bisbal (1984), 147–156).
153
Autos de Visuras hechas en las casas y edificios que amenasaban ruhina por los
terremotos que acaecieron en 23 de Marzo y demás subseguientes, año. (Ms. 129 folios) Archivo Histórico de Xátiva (Transcription and summaries, Bisbal (1984), 157–
177).
El Intendente de Valencia, Marqués de Malespina, informa al Marqués de la Ensenada,
Secretario de Hacienda, de la visita de inspección que efectuó a los pueblos de Valencia y Castellón afectados por los terremotos de marzo de 1748, en la que se evaluaron
los daños en edificios, el costo estimado de su reparación y ventajas fiscales a conceder a los afectados en el pago del equivalente. 5 de julio de 1748. (Reproduction and
transcription: Enrique Giménez López) (blogs.ua.e/eltiempodelosmodernos/1014/
03/17/1748-Valencia-informe-sobre-el-gran-terremoto-de-1748).
Extracto de lo que resulta de los Autos formados en razón de las aberiguaziones que de Rl.
Orn. se han executado, de las Ruynas causadas por los Terremotos acaezidos desde el
día 23 de Marzo passado, con expresión del costo que se ha considerado por los
expertos podrán tener sus reparos, y de lo acaezimientos singulares que ha habido
(Informe del Marques de Malespina, 1748). Archivo General de Simancas (AGS),
Secretaría y Superintendencia de Hacienda (SSH), legajo 576.
Información dada por la ciudad de Xátiva del estado de ruina padecido por el convento de
Santa Clara y otros edificios de la misma en los terremotos. Archivo Histórico de
Xátiva.
Relació del terratrémol del dia 23 de març i dels esdeveniments ocorreguts fins el dia 31
del mateix mes. Archivo Histórico Nacional (AHN) (OOMM, sign. 591-C).
Relación de las desgracias ruinas y estragos ocasionados por los terremotos que
comenzaron a sentirse el día 23 de Marzo de este año de 1748 en diferentes pueblos
de este Reyno de Valencia. 1748. Archivo Histórico Nacional (AHN) (Sec. de Estado
Leg. 3173).
Relación de lo sucedido en las villas y lugares de la gobernación de la ciudad de Játiva por
causa de los terremotos. Archivo Histórico de Xátiva (Reproduced in Bisbal
(1984)pp. 123–146.
Relación zircunstanziada de la ruina que ha ocasionado en la villa y castillo de Montesa el
terremoto que se sintió y duró por espacio de dos minutos con poca diferenzia, en el
día 23 de marzo a las seis y media de la mañana con diferentes repetiziones de menos
fuerza hasta el 26 del mismo. El marqués de la Romana al marqués de la Ensenada.
Montesa, 26-3-1748. Archivo General de Simancas (AGS). Secretaría y
Superintendencia de Hacienda (SSH), legajo 576.
Relación del terremoto y sus efectos que padeció el Sacro Convento de Montesa. 1748
(Ms) Archivo Histórico Nacional (AHN) (OOMM, sign. 591-C).
Visuras de los daños causados por los terremotos en casas de la ciudad, hospital, lonja,
Almodin, Templo de Santa Tecla, y Torre de S. Francisco de la ciudad de Játiva. Ms
(damage in 30 places in Játiva) (Summary, Bisbal (1984), 161–177).