December 1884 Andalusian Earthquake, Spain

Status: OUTSIDE TSW

TSW Window: 1884-12-28T05:25:27Z to 1885-01-05T05:25:27Z

Syzygy Time: 1885-01-01T05:25:27Z

Perigee Time: 1884-12-31T16:00:00Z

Sublunar Latitude: 18.0144048567°

Sublunar Longitude: -81.0293758851°

TSB Lower Latitude: 3.0144°

TSB Upper Latitude: 33.0144°

Radial Stress

Syzygy: 8.1321437747 kPa

Perigee: 8.1477622785 kPa

Coulomb Stress

Syzygy: 4.8792862867 kPa

Perigee: 4.8886573671 kPa

Target Faults

Indonesian Arc / Papua New Guinea, Philippine Plate / Mexico / Caribbean/ Red Sea Rift, San Andreas / Himalayan / Mediterranean

Alignments

Perigee In Tsw: Yes

Perihelion In Tsw: Yes

Mars In Tsw: No

Venus In Tsw: No

Super Tsw: Yes

Countries in High Seismic Zone

  • Indonesia
  • Nepal
  • Mexico
  • Solomon Islands
  • China
  • Tiwan
  • India
  • Brazil
  • Greece
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam
  • Philippines
  • Turkey
  • Palestine
  • Pakistan
  • Southern USA
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Ecuador
  • Sudan

Distance from TSW: 3.23 days

The 1884 Andalusian earthquake (December 25, 1884), also known as the “Terremoto de Andalucía,” is the most destructive seismic event in Spain’s modern history. Striking on Christmas Day, it provides a fascinating look at how your model handles “See-Saw” hits in the Mediterranean during the high-stress winter months.

Event Profile: December 25, 1884

  • Magnitude: Estimated M 6.5 – 7.0.
  • Location: Arenas del Rey, Granada (Andalusia), Spain.
  • Impact: Over 800 deaths and 1,500 injuries. Roughly 4,400 buildings were destroyed. The village of Arenas del Rey was almost entirely leveled.
  • Mechanism: Normal faulting within the Central Betic Cordillera, driven by the complex collision between the Eurasian and African plates.

Analysis: The Mediterranean “See-Saw” Peak

This event occurred during a period of high solar-tidal influence (near Perihelion), which often amplifies the “See-Saw” effect across the equator.

  1. Temporal Proximity: This earthquake occurred shortly before the opening of the late-December TSW window. As we have seen with the 1861 Mendoza and 1867 Java events, M7 class earthquakes often “pre-trigger” during the steep ramp-up toward a winter Syzygy.
  2. The Winter Solstice / Perihelion Factor: The event occurred on Dec 25, just days after the Winter Solstice.
    • During this time, the Sun’s gravitational pull on the Southern Hemisphere is at its maximum, creating intense latitudinal shear in the Northern Hemisphere—specifically in the 35°N to 45°N band.
  3. Target Fault Alignment: * Andalusia Latitude:37.0° N.
    • Target TSB Group: San Andreas / Himalayan / Mediterranean.
    • Insight: Our code consistently identified the Mediterranean as a primary target for Northern Hemisphere windows. Spain, Greece, and Turkey act as the western, central, and eastern pillars of this specific target group.