ORIGINAL PAPER On the earthquakes in the Northern Baltic Shield in the spring of 1626 R. E. Tatevossian • P. Ma ¨ntyniemi • T. N. Tatevossian Received: 25 August 2009 / Accepted: 2 March 2010 / Published online: 27 February 2011 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 Abstract This study starts from the earthquakes of May 14, 1626 and June 22, 1626 as given in existing parametric catalogs for the Baltic (Fennoscandian) Shield. The first shock is located in North-western Russia, the second in Finland that belonged to Sweden at that time. A search for previously unknown Russian sources of information is performed, and secondary Swedish sources are replaced by primary ones. The contemporary sources are two Russian chronicles and two Swedish manuscripts. In addition, a later reminiscence is used. The contents of the sources are critically analyzed and augmented with background information. A new interpretation of one Swedish manuscript is presented. The earthquake dates are analyzed. A credible source of errors follows from the different calendars used. Macroseismic intensity assessment is possible for two places. A new solution of one earthquake felt in both territories is proposed. The available data are too fragmentary to prove it beyond doubt, but the scenario is feasible in many ways. Tentative earthquake parameters are calculated. Epicentral intensity is assessed at 6–7 (EMS), magnitude is estimated at 4.7–5.7. The epicenter is located in Russia close to the border between the two territories. Keywords Historical earthquakes Historical seismology Macroseismic sources Baltic (Fennoscandian) Shield R. E. Tatevossian (&) T. N. Tatevossian Institute of the Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences, B. Gruzinskaya 10, Moscow 123995, Russia e-mail: [email protected]P. Ma ¨ntyniemi Institute of Seismology, Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, POB 68, 00014 Helsinki, Finland e-mail: paivi.mantyniemi@helsinki.fi 123 Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150 DOI 10.1007/s11069-010-9516-7
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ORI GIN AL PA PER
On the earthquakes in the Northern Baltic Shieldin the spring of 1626
R. E. Tatevossian • P. Mantyniemi • T. N. Tatevossian
Received: 25 August 2009 / Accepted: 2 March 2010 / Published online: 27 February 2011� Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011
Abstract This study starts from the earthquakes of May 14, 1626 and June 22, 1626 as
given in existing parametric catalogs for the Baltic (Fennoscandian) Shield. The first shock
is located in North-western Russia, the second in Finland that belonged to Sweden at that
time. A search for previously unknown Russian sources of information is performed, and
secondary Swedish sources are replaced by primary ones. The contemporary sources are
two Russian chronicles and two Swedish manuscripts. In addition, a later reminiscence is
used. The contents of the sources are critically analyzed and augmented with background
information. A new interpretation of one Swedish manuscript is presented. The earthquake
dates are analyzed. A credible source of errors follows from the different calendars used.
Macroseismic intensity assessment is possible for two places. A new solution of one
earthquake felt in both territories is proposed. The available data are too fragmentary to
prove it beyond doubt, but the scenario is feasible in many ways. Tentative earthquake
parameters are calculated. Epicentral intensity is assessed at 6–7 (EMS), magnitude is
estimated at 4.7–5.7. The epicenter is located in Russia close to the border between the two
R. E. Tatevossian (&) � T. N. TatevossianInstitute of the Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences, B. Gruzinskaya 10,Moscow 123995, Russiae-mail: [email protected]
P. MantyniemiInstitute of Seismology, Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki,POB 68, 00014 Helsinki, Finlande-mail: [email protected]
The Baltic (Fennoscandian) Shield in North-eastern Europe is situated in an intraplate
domain that exhibits low seismic activity (Fig. 1). The Precambrian of the study region
consists of the Archaean Domain extending to the Kola Peninsula in the northeast. The
available seismicity records comprise two earthquakes close in space and time in 1626:
those of 14 May and 22 June. They stand out from the earthquake list in that they are
followed by an interruption of entries for almost 125 years. Also, the given magnitudes are
among the highest determined in the region. Therefore, the events are crucial for the
accurate assessment of recurrence intervals and seismic hazard in the region.
According to the New Catalog (1977, 1982), the earthquake of May 14, 1626 was of
magnitude 5.4, which is the largest in the subregion. The other magnitude is estimated at
4.7, both with an accuracy of ±1.0 unit (Fig. 1). The first shock is located in North-western
Fig. 1 A regionalseismotectonic map. Light graycircles are earthquake epicentersof magnitude ML2-4.3 recordedbetween 1998 and 2007according to the Fennoscandianearthquake catalog (Ahjos andUski 1992). Dashed red linesdelineate mapped shear zones asfollows: Bothnian Bay (BBZ),Central Lapland (CLZ),Hirvaskoski (HSZ),Kandalaksha-Puolanka (KPZ),Kuusamo (KSZ), Oulujarvi(OSZ), Quark Shear Zones (QSZ;Koistinen et al. 2001). Starsdenote epicenters given for theearthquakes of May 14, 1626(in Russia) and June 22, 1626(in present-day Finland) in theNew Catalog of Kondorskayaand Shebalin (1977, 1982). Errorbars show the accuracy oflocation. Magnitudes, epicentralintensities (MSK-64) and depthsare shown. Brackets are used inthe New Catalog to markdoubtful solutions. Figure framescorrespond to the seismic regionof Baltic Shield (region XIII) inthe New Catalog. Black lines arecurrent state borders betweenFinland and Russia
134 Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150
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Russia, the second in present-day Finland that was Swedish territory at the time of the
occurrence. The earthquake of May 14, 1626 has been reconsidered several times. For
example, Stepanov and Pribylova (2003) evaluated a magnitude of 5.0, while Nikonov
(2004) suggested an increase to 6.5. In contrast, the information available for the earth-
quake of June 22, 1626 confines to entries in parametric catalogs only. Panasenko (1969),
the New Catalog and Penttila (1978) provided an identical epicenter; Ahjos and Uski
(1992) modified both coordinates by 0.2–0.3�. The respective magnitude estimates range
from 4.6 to 5.2.
The intent of this contribution is to verify the initial documentary data available for the
earthquakes in the Northern Baltic Shield in the spring of 1626. First, the sources are
reviewed, then the possibility to find previously unknown sources is carefully investigated,
and finally the scope of the information available for the earthquakes is evaluated and
discussed. Possible earthquake scenarios are presented, and tentative earthquake parame-
ters are estimated for the new solution.
2 The earthquake of May 14, 1626
2.1 Sources for the earthquake in May 1626
The starting point for the study on the earthquake of 14 May is notes by Yakovleva (1958)
referenced in the record line of the New Catalog (1977, 1982). Yakovleva found a later
manuscript sewed to the Pogodin’s collection of 1563 manuscripts. It describes events in
the Moscow State and, in particular, in Northern Dvina region in the 1500s and 1600s.
Historian M.P. Pogodin titled the manuscript as Records on Dvina events in 7061 (1553)–7134 (1626) (Zapiski Dvinskikh sobytiy v 7061 (1553)–7134 (1626)). On the other side of
the page 105 of the Pogodin’s collection, there is a record on earthquake on May 4, 1626
felt on the shores of the White Sea1:
In year 7134, May in the 4 day, earth shook in all Pomor’e, on Solovki and in Ust’-Kola, and on Dvina up to Siskoy Monastery.
Nikonov (2004) related another document to this earthquake. It is Dvina Chronicle(Dvinskiy Letopisets), a chronicle compiled in Kholmogory. It includes the following
report (PSRL, 1977 v. 33, p. 172)2:
1627. A terrible quake. Under governing of this voevoda in Dvina occurred a terriblequake in 135, May, day 20, in All Saints week, at 5 o’clock before Monday, because of oursins anger of God shook the earth, and many people saw this quake, but some of them weresleeping. And God save the people from the quake.
Novgorod, Kholmogory, Velikiy Ustyug, Vologda and Perm’ were the main centers of
documentation in Northern Russia until the fall of Novgorod in 1478, when it was annexed
to the Moscow State. Chronicles compiled in Novgorod and Perm’ end before the 1600s.
Compilation of chronicles continued in Kholmogory, Velikiy Ustyug and Vologda (Fig. 2).
When verifying all the chronicles compiled there (PSRL, 1959, v.26; PSRL, 1977, v. 33;
PSRL, 1982, v.37), it became clear that the only information on the event of interest is
given in Dvinskiy Letopisets (Table 1). This chronicle was published for the first time in
1774 by G. F. Miller, the second time in 1791 by N. I. Novikov. Both editions have been
lost. A. A. Titov prepared the third edition in 1889 on the basis of four handwritten copies
1 Texts in original languages can be found in the Appendix.2 PSRL–Polnoye sobraniye russkikh letopisey (Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles).
Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150 135
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of the chronicle. Only two of them survived until now, including the one of the Archae-
ographic Commission, so it is not possible to reconstruct his work. A. A. Titov used mostly
his own copy, to which he appended pieces from other copies, without explicit description
of his actions. Therefore, when publishing the chronicle in 1977, the previous edition was
ignored, and only handwritten copies were used.
A total of fourteen copies of Dvinskiy Letopisets are still extant. They are kept in
Moscow, Sankt-Petersburg and Helsinki. Copyists often added, skipped or altered original
information, which can be the reason for confusion later. Different copies extend their
Fig. 2 Places related to the earthquakes of 1626. The red line outlines the border between Russia andSweden defined in 1617. White circles are towns and lesser centers of population. In Russia, the dashedyellow area is Pomor’e in the narrow sense, while dashed violet is Pomor’e in the broad sense according toTatishchev (2003). The red contour corresponds to ‘‘over Dvina up to Siyskoy Monastery’’ according to theassumption made in this study. The centers of documentation in Northern Russia have been underlined;chronicles compiled in these centers report on events in the first quarter of the 1600s. Distances fromepicenter as given in the New Catalog are shown. In Sweden (present-day Finland), the dashed brown areacorresponds to the province of Pohjanmaa (Osterbotten in Swedish) as it was defined in 1634, the doublydashed area to the municipality of Ii. The inset shows the rectangular area around Lake Oulujarvi in moredetail. The cross denotes the church of Paltamo located at a distance of almost 20 km from the main centerof population, and the black hexagon the fortress of Kajaani
136 Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150
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descriptions to somewhat different times, but all of them cover the year of interest. As most
of the Russian Chronicles, Dvinskiy Letopisets starts by quoting fragments of older Pan-
Russian chronicles, but with time passing it concentrates mostly on local life in Northern
Russia.
Verification of chronicles associated with Northern Russia leads to the conclusion that
there are only two documents reporting on an earthquake in Russia around 1626: Recordson Dvina events and Dvinskiy Letopisets. The dates given in the chronicles are discussed in
Sect. 4.
2.2 Assessment of the sources
Several questions arise from the information given in Records on Dvina events in 7061(1553)–7134 (1626) as reported by Yakovleva (1958):
(1) The origin of the document is not clear. Where was it compiled and what are its
sources?
(2) What does Pomor’e mean? This toponim has different definitions. In the narrow
meaning it refers to the southern shores of the White Sea from Onega to Kem’. In the
broadest sense it means the huge area from Karelia up to the Urals (Fig. 2).
According to the definition by Tatishchev (2003), Pomor’e included regions of
Arkhangel’sk, Kholomogory, Vaga, Tot’ma, Vologda, Kargopol’, Charonda and
Olonets. In which sense is it used in the cited document?
(3) In the 1600s, the whole region along the Dvina River from Vychegda up to the White
Sea was named Dvina; Siyskoy Monastery is more or less in the center of this region.
What does ‘‘up to Siyskoy Monastery’’ mean: to the north or to the south of it? The
first one looks more reasonable (it is contoured in red in Fig. 2), nevertheless this is
an assumption.
Is one of the two sources of a higher priority? Dvinskiy Letopisets is a local source of
clear origin, in contrast to the Records on Dvina events. Local sources usually contain more
detailed descriptions, but here the situation is strangely the opposite. Kola and ‘‘all
Table 1 Information on chronicles related to Northern Russia
Title Year of publication Timeinterval
Place ofcompilation
Main features(Pan-Russian/local)
Descriptiononearthquake
Cholmogorskayaletopis’
PSRL, v. 33, Leningrad,Nauka, 1977, 250 pages
852–1659 Kholmogory Pan-Russian/local
No
Dvinskiyletopisets
PSRL, v. 33, Leningrad,Nauka, 1977, 250 pages
1342–1790 Kholmogory Local Yes
Ustyuzhskayaletopis’
PSRL, v. 37, Leningrad,Nauka, 1982, 228 pages.
852–1745 VelikiyUstyug
Pan-Russian/local
No
Vologodskayaletopis’
PSRL, v. 37, Leningrad,Nauka, 1982, 228 pages.
862–1700 VelikiyUstyug
Pan-Russian/local
No
Vologodsko-Permskayaletopis’
PSRL, v. 26, Moskva-Leningrad, Izd. AN SSSR,1959, 415 pages
854–1538 Vologda Pan-Russian/local
No
Letopisets L’vaVologdina
PSRL, v. 37, Leningrad,Nauka, 1982, 228 pages
1192–1797 Vologda Local No
Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150 137
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Pomor’e’’ disappeared from the place names in Dvinskiy Letopisets; when reporting Dvina,
Siyskiy Monastery has been omitted. Absence of information on Ust’-Kola possibly fol-
lows from its remoteness from Kholmogory, where the chronicle was compiled, but then
Siyskiy Monastery is only 75 km to the south from Kholmogory. For the same reason, it is
difficult to explain the lack of information on Pomor’e. Because of these contradictions and
lack of information on the origin of the manuscript Records of Dvina events, it is not
possible to assess priorities to the manuscripts.
2.3 About the places related to the documents
Kola is mentioned only in Records on Dvina events in 7061 (1553)–7134 (1626). It is clear
that Kola is crucial for the epicenter position given in the New Catalog (Fig. 2). If this
locality appeared erroneously in the chronicle, the parameterization of the earthquake of
May 14, 1626 is influenced dramatically. Grounds for these speculations can be found out
by carefully examining the maps showing the historical and geographic background of
Kola and Pomor’e in 1626 (Fig. 3). The earthquake occurred during a flourishing time for
Kola and the entire Russian Lapland that lasted from the mid-1500s to mid-1600s. Fast
declination of the region only started in 1665, when the custom rules were toughened, after
which most of the population left Kola (Golubtsov 1911).
For the first time, Kola was drawn on a European map in 1539 (map of Olaus Magnus).
All coastal area of Russian Lapland was rather well developed. Besides the maps, there is
Fig. 3 Contemporary maps of Northern Russia and neighboring states: a Upper part: A miniature map ofNorthern Russia. The arrow points at Kola stockade town. Published in 1601 in Frankfurt by J. Keerbergen,L. Hulsius, drawing by Abraham Ortelius. Lower part: Map fragment from the Atlas � Speculum OrbisTerrae � 1593. Cartographer: Anthonio Iankinsono Anglo, Antverpen. Places mentioned in the text areunderlined. b A fragment of a map of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. � Novbus Atlas � 1635. Most ofKola is mapped rather accurately
138 Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150
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direct evidence (reproduced by Golubtsov 1911) of active life in the region between 1550
and 1650. For example, the monastery in Kandalaksha was constructed in 1532 and that in
Pechenga in 1533. Kola became a permanent settlement between 1533 and 1550, when the
construction of Kol’skiy stockade town started. The construction was completed in 1582.
Kola became the regional administrative center. First voevoda (governor) of Kola inau-
gurated a market place and arranged custom services. The city walls were built in 1583
(cf. Fig. 3). A year before the earthquake, there were 500 soldiers and artillery in the Kola
garrison (Shaskol’skiy 1962). Kola remained an administrative center of the region during
the first quarter of the 1600s. That is why any information on events within the region
could enter the outer world through Kola. Afterward, the information may start to be
associated with Kola. This phenomenon is well known in historical seismology. For
example, there is a big cluster of earthquakes in Shiraz, Iran, when it was the capital of
Persia (Tatevossian et al. 2003). It should also be noted that some important localities
along the trade road such as Kandalaksha (distance 190 km from the given epicenter),
Kem’ (130 km) and Varzuga (65 km, i.e. almost six times closer to the given epicenter
than Kola) are not mentioned in the chronicles.
At the time of the earthquake, both Siyskiy and Solovki monasteries were very well
linked with Moscow. Siyskiy Monastery was founded in 1525 in the small island of Lake
Mikhailov. The monastery gradually grew more powerful, and in ca 1545 its buildings
could be found in Kholmogory, Una and Nenoks. In 1579, the monks’ property included a
large piece of land extending to ‘‘Siya and Khorobritse–6 versts [a verst ca 1 km] and
toward Kargopol’–50 versts’’ (Slavyanskaya entsiklopediya…, 2004). The monastery
became an important clerical and administrative center of Dvina land well known in
Moscow. Three wooden churches were built in 37 years, and a set of masonry buildings
was formed during the second half of the 1600s. The monastery had a town church in
Kholmogory, where the chronicle Dvinskiy Letopisets was compiled.
Solovki. The monastery was founded at the end of the 1400s. It became the clerical
center of Pomor’e very quickly and was of Pan-Russian importance in the 1500s. Active
construction works were started at that time. The monastery became a key point in the
defense system of Pomor’e, when Swedish activity grew in the region in the late 1500s and
early 1600s. A permanent garrison was formed, and it had as many as 1040 soldiers
between 1614 and 1626. Solovki was so crucial in defending Pomor’e that the tsar waved
aside taxes for 5 years and presented it large pieces of land. However, the monastery ended
up in opposition to both religious and civil authorities, when it refused to accept the clerical
reform of patriarch Nikon in 1653. Troops sent from Moscow took over the monastery in
1676, and from that time it lost its importance. Both the Solovki and Siyskiy monasteries
were closed in the 1920s. This caused destruction and loss of local documents.
3 The earthquake of June 22, 1626
3.1 Sources for the earthquake in June 1626
The parametric earthquake catalogs that include an entry for June 22, 1626 rely on the
descriptive catalog of Renqvist (1930). It gives three sources: the New Finnish Manual(1693), Mathesius (1734) and Messenius (1865). Given the long delay between the event
and these sources, there is obvious doubt whether they can be regarded as original. A closer
examination showed that the New Finnish Manual (1693) only contains a remark of a large
earthquake in the province of Pohjanmaa (Osterbotten in Swedish) in 1626. Mathesius
Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150 139
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(1734) is a geography thesis focusing on the same province. It mentions damage to the
church in Paltamo due to an earthquake on the day of Eschilli (Eskil in Swedish) in 1626.
The source for this information is a description of the municipality of Paltamo by Johannes
Andreae Cajanus in 1663. Messenius (1865) stands for the second edition of Rhymechronicle of Finland. The other editions appeared in print in 1774 and 2004 (Messenius
1774, 2004). The third edition was prepared using strict scientific criteria and the original
manuscript from the 1620s. Prior to Renqvist (1930), Moberg (1894) listed seismic
occurrences in present-day Finland, relying on Thuneld (1794) in the 1626 case. Thuneld
(1794) is the third edition of description of the geography of Sweden. This source was
classified as secondary, because it gives the same information about the church sustaining
damage in an earthquake in 1626.
Rhyme chronicle of Finland contains narratives of fictional and real important persons
and political events until 1628, written in rhyme. The author, Swedish Johannes Messenius
(about 1580–1636), was most probably an eyewitness to the only natural phenomenon
mentioned in the text. His exact whereabouts at the moment of the earthquake are known:
he was held political prisoner in the fortress of Kajaani not far from Lake Oulujarvi from
1616 to 1635 (Fig. 2). Messenius was a prolific writer at a time when illiteracy was far
more common. What is missing from Renqvist (1930) is the main study of Johannes
Messenius, the monumental Scondia illustrata (the description of Scandinavia), completed
in the 1630s. It was published in the early 1700s. A translation from Latin into Finnish in
1988 was used in this study (Messenius 1988). The 10th book of Scondia illustrata is
devoted to the history of Finland and contains a few comments on the earthquake. This
work and Rhyme chronicle of Finland are not independent of each other:
Next I want to write about a strange thing [1626]
it is an earthquake
that travelled through the entire Finland
One cape only suffered damage in the municipality of Ii
it tilted so that
it sank in an awful way.
In the deep water it is seen no more
than the tops of tall trees.
An earthquake is never followed by anything good,
which has also been prophesized.
The following year, in the same municipality,
one day, the nineteenth of April,
it rains almost only blood.
This is not a good sign either.
God be merciful and lenient with us
for the sake of His Son Jesus Christ.
Messenius J, Rhyme chronicle of Finland
[1626] When dawn was breaking on the 13th of June, Finland was shaken by a
terrible earthquake. It made the ground sink over quite a considerable area in the
municipality of Ii, which made possible the creation of a lake in this very place.
Messenius J, Scondia illustrata
The description of the municipality of Paltamo (Cajanus 1663) that includes a remark of
a church suffering damage due to an earthquake in 1626 is not contemporary with the
140 Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150
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earthquake. Nevertheless, it has value, because it is independent of the texts of Messenius.
The author, Johannes Andreae Cajanus, spent his entire life (1626–1703) in Paltamo, except
for school and studies elsewhere between 1636 and 1648. He served as the vicar for about
the last 40 years of his life. Cajanus gave a testimony to the consequences of the earthquake:
This church (…): but in the big earthquake that happened over most of Pohjanmaa
[Osterbotn] in 1626, on the day of Eskil, it was badly broken, so that the eastern
gable leant; and since that time the peasants have been unwilling to spend on the
church, because of which it now seems to be falling
Johannes Andreae Cajanus, The description of the municipality of Paltamo
The description of the municipality was likely prepared to commemorate the inspection
of the diocese by bishop Johannes Terserus in 1663, which may have been the first ever
visitation by a bishop in the area (Jokipii 1960). Besides the history of the parish and
related persons, the description extends to the geography of the municipality as well as
ethnography and folklore of its inhabitants. The church of interest was the second in the
history of the parish, completed in 1599. It was most likely a rectangular timber building.
At the time of the visit it still existed, but in a bad shape, and preparations of building a
new church had been commenced.
3.2 A new interpretation of the sources
The impressive consequence of the earthquake in the municipality of Ii described by
Johannes Messenius cannot be understood as a tectonic land subsidence: if an earthquake
leaves permanent deformation in the ground, the magnitude has to be large, i.e. M C 6.5
(Pantosti and Yeats 1993). Had an earthquake of this size occurred in the territory, the
consequent damage would not have been confined to a single church. However, population
tables do not show any abrupt decrease in the number of houses either in Ii or in Paltamo
around 1626; instead, habitation increased quite favorably there in the 1620s (Keranen
1984, 1986; Vahtola 1998). In Paltamo, the increase in the mid-1620s may in part be
attributed to improved bookkeeping rather than an actual change. The number of houses
became stable toward the end of the decade, and only started to decline in the early 1630s,
when severe famine hit the area. It is more credible that the description refers to a sec-
ondary earthquake effect such as a landslide or subsidence of riverbanks or lakeshores, and
the magnitude of the earthquake may have been moderate.
The new interpretation is that Johannes Messenius may have located the landslide
erroneously. It is certain that Messenius cannot have been an eyewitness to occurrences in
the municipality of Ii. As a political prisoner he could neither become familiar with local
geography nor gather information freely, had he wanted to. It is not clear if he learned much
Finnish, the language of ordinary people in the area, during the long imprisonment. The
gnomic remark of it raining blood the following year may have roiled the location of the real
earthquake effects. Messenius, despite his formal education in political science and law,
shared the superstitious notion of that time that earthquakes were omens of misfortune.
The landslide may have occurred along the shores of Lake Oulujarvi (Fig. 2). This
reasoning is based on the following: (1) It is more probable that Messenius obtained some
hearsay from across a short distance (about 10 km at the shortest) rather than from far
away (170 km). (2) Many of the banks of Lake Oulujarvi consisted of sand and were
notoriously unstable (Leiviska 1914). This characteristic feature is hidden in local place
names such as Paltamo, palta or palte being a very old word that means rolling banks.
Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150 141
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A plausible sequence of events is that the ground shaking triggered an amount of soil to
roll into the water. (3) Pine trees are typical of the edges of the banks (Fig. 4); in the
event of a landslide they would fall into the water as described in Rhyme chronicle ofFinland. However, Messenius supposedly preferred suitable words to actual facts when
thinking of a rhyme; the fallen trees would be in chaotic order in the water rather than
stand upright.
There are a number of possible capes by Lake Oulujarvi, but it is not possible to
pinpoint the one of interest on the basis of Messenius’ texts alone. According to Rhymechronicle of Finland, the land subsidence was the only damage following the earthquake,
but it is known from the description of Johannes Andreae Cajanus that the church of
Paltamo, not far from the fortress of Kajaani, was partly broken (Fig. 2). An explanation
may be that both incidents occurred in the vicinity of the same cape, but this remains
speculative.
Johannes Messenius provided a valuable piece of information in Scondia illustrata: the
date of 13 June. It is mentioned, as if in passing, that the earthquake occurred at dawn. This
is a detail that may tell of a genuine eyewitness. It is credible that the time of the day is
remembered and reported afterward, especially if the reporter was awakened by the event.
The earthquake location is quite insufficient (‘‘the entire Finland’’). However, these kinds
of areas of perceptibility are not uncommon in old earthquake reports (e.g. Musson 1996).
According to the other key person, Johannes Andreae Cajanus, the earthquake occurred on
the day of Eskil. The feast of St. Eskil was originally fixed to 11 June, but later moved to
Fig. 4 A view of the banks ofLake Oulujarvi. Photo: HermanRenfors, 1902. Collections of theMuseum of Kainuu, Kajaani,Finland
142 Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150
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12 June except in his local diocese in southern Sweden. Cajanus reported most of the
province of Pohjanmaa (Fig. 2) as the area of perceptibility.
4 An analysis of the different dates of earthquakes
A total of four dates can be found in the sources: May 4, 1626 and May 20, 1627 in the
Russian chronicles and the day of Eskil (12 June) 1626 and June 13, 1626 in the Swedish
manuscripts. The dawn of 13 June provided by Johannes Messenius in Scondia illustratawas previously ignored by seismologists. These dates are based on contemporary calen-
dars: the Julian calendar in Sweden and the Byzantine calendar in Russia. A later adoption
of the Gregorian calendar brought a leap of ten days, thus the dates as 14 May and 22 June
in existing parametric catalogs.
Both Russian sources, also the local one, mention only one earthquake, but the given
dates differ by ca 1 year. There are not enough reasons to tell which date is correct
(if either) on the basis of the authoritativeness of the sources—they are of the same order
(cf. Guidoboni and Ebel 2009). The Russian sources mention an earthquake in the same
area, south of the White Sea, which is of low seismic activity. This may support the notion
that both chronicles report the same seismic event, i.e. there is an error of dates in one or
both of the documents. There are at least two possible reasons for it:
(1) A confusion of dates may follow from the calendar used. According to the Byzantine
calendar, the first day of the year was 1 March until the end of the 1400s, then 1
September. At the time of interest, only the September-dating should have been in
use, but in reality the use of both conventions overlapped very long. It is believed that
the first chronicle definitely compiled following September-dating was the Nikonian
chronicle from the 1650s. The 1-year difference can be explained by this: May 1627
in March-dating is May 1626 in September-dating. It is possible that March-dating
was used in Pomor’e in the north where people were conservative and refused to
accept the church reformation (including the calendar reform) started by patriarch
Nikon.
(2) There were a total of fourteen copies of Dvinskiy Letopisets and, when preparing it for
publication in 1977, the editors tried to compromise over them. It is easy to make a
mistake between years 1626/1627 (134/135) when dealing with such an amount of
copies.
A confusion of 1 year will also affect dates. In the old times, the dates (in modern form
of day and month) were derivatives (less important) of dates pinned to certain religious
events. For example, in the information ‘‘in 135, May, day 20, in All Saints week, at 5o’clock before Monday’’ the feast of All Saints week is more important, and 20 May is the
consequence of the feast day. It is a movable feast, related to the Orthodox Easter date
(8 weeks after Easter). In 1626, the feast of All Saints fell on 3 June, in 1627 on 20 May.
Therefore, another date can be added to the two explicit Russian dates, a combination of
information from both Russian documents: June 3, 1626 (corresponding to June 13, 1626
on the Gregorian calendar). It follows from the assumptions that year 1626 in DvinskiyLetopisets is erroneously reported as 1627 and that the reference to the feast of All Saints
week is crucial to dating the event.
The two June dates in the Swedish manuscripts are very close together, so a natural
conclusion is to relate them to the same earthquake. Nevertheless, there may be limitations
in the accuracy of timing. Johannes Andreae Cajanus wrote the description only decades
Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150 143
123
after the event. The reminiscence ‘the day of Eskil’ may in practice mean that the earth-
quake occurrence was close to it, but not necessarily identical. The testimony of Johannes
Messenius shows that there was a difference of one day at least. The original manuscript of
Scondia illustrata proves that the given date was not distorted in the later editions used in
this study; however, the reliability of Johannes Messenius is difficult to assess. Scondiaillustrata was completed later than Rhyme Chronicle of Finland, which may also be a
source for a lapse of memory.
Two main scenarios can be discerned on the basis of the available information on
dating: (1) an earthquake in Russia on May 4 or June 3, 1626 or May 20, 1627, and another
one in Sweden on June 12(13), 1626; (2) only one earthquake occurred in the spring of
1626. In favor of the scenario of one seismic event is the coincidence of origin time
reported in Dvinskiy Letopisets (5 o’clock) and in Swedish manuscript (at dawn); but it is
based on assumptions of errors in dating. An evident source of errors is the calendar used,
and mistakes in writing and copying are made. Errors in dating can be suspected with a
certain probability, but the available information is not detailed enough to prove them
exclusively. It is well recognized in historical seismology that an earthquake, especially if
felt in different territories, can split into two or more separate events in documentation.
According to the first scenario, the uncertainty of dating of an earthquake of June
12(13), 1626 could be of the order of days only. It is difficult to evaluate the uncertainty of
dating for a separate Russian event. If it is formally assigned to be 1 year, it means that the
earthquake occurred at any moment during this time interval. However, this is not exactly
the case: there is rather a choice of three fixed (discrete) options in 1 year. In such a case,
the uncertainty of timing has only a formal character. According to the second scenario, the
earthquake occurred either in May or in June, so the uncertainty of dating is of the order of
a month.
5 Discussion
Disregarding the data points of Kola and municipality of Ii as discussed in Sects. 2 and 3,
the remaining localities concentrate in the vicinity of the White Sea and one point is
located by Lake Oulujarvi in present-day Finland at a distance of about 400 km (Fig. 2).
Besides point locations, wider place-names are mentioned in the sources. Johannes
Andreae Cajanus gave the area of perceptibility as ‘‘most of the province of Pohjanmaa’’.
Combining this with the toponim Pomor’e in the broadest sense (Fig. 2) leaves a much
smaller gap between the key areas. The absence of observations between the two territories
can be explained by the lack of population and documentation centers there (cf. Fig. 3b and
Sect. 2.3). The Russian–Swedish border in the region of interest at that time was not
controlled, so fishermen and hunters could move freely from one territory to the other, but
permanent habitation hardly existed. Throughout centuries frequent conflicts in the border
area also rendered permanent settlement slow and difficult. Thus, the one-earthquake
scenario is feasible on the basis of the information available on places.
The physical feature determining the area of perceptibility is the propagation of seismic
waves. In a shield region, the attenuation is quite slow, which would account for the long
distances between data points. The largest earthquake in Kaliningrad on September 21,
2004 was of magnitude around Mw5.2, but was felt up to distances in excess of 600 km
(Gregersen et al. 2007). However, the attenuation may have preferred directions of azi-
muth. Because the sparse population concentrated along waterways, local site conditions
could also increase the sensation of ground shaking. For instance, Siyskyi Monastery is
144 Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150
123
situated in a marshy island in Lake Mikhailov (Fig. 5), where the ground conditions are
exceptionally bad. The fortress of Kajaani was built on an island in a river, and the church
of Paltamo was located on the highly unstable sandy banks of Lake Oulujarvi.
A few pieces of information are available for intensity assessment. According to the
chronicle Dvinskiy Letopisets, some people were not awakened by the earthquake in Dvina
south of the White Sea. On the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS; Grunthal 1998), many
people (20–50%) are awakened at intensity level 5. This may be taken as the upper limit
for intensity in Dvina, but the actual value can have been lower. In Records on Dvinaevents in 7061 (1553)–7134 (1626), the absence of details makes it impossible to differ-
entiate the intensity; only ‘‘felt’ can be assigned to the places mentioned. In the Lake
Oulujarvi area, the damaged church and landslide give clues to intensity assessment. The
smallest intensity that harms the built-up environment is 5 on the EMS, but the definition is
based on a statistical approach to building and damage types. Wooden structures on
average would not be ranked in the lowest vulnerability classes affected at this intensity
level. Neither the structural details nor condition of the church are known, but the site can
be classified as bad. Similarly, a landslide may result from unstable slopes or other bad
conditions. For example, the railway embankment near the town of Svetlogorsk slid as a
consequence of the Kaliningrad earthquakes of September 21, 2004. The soil was very wet
because of heavy rains. Intensity in Svetlogorsk town was assessed at 5–6 (MSK-64) and
up to 6 close to the town (Aptikaev et al. 2005). The actual ground motion at the site by
Lake Oulujarvi may not have needed be particularly strong, and the corresponding
intensity may have been around 4–5 (EMS).
The new solution is that the available documents refer to the same event. Tentative
earthquake parameters can be obtained with the help of different relationships derived for
the Baltic Shield. Wahlstrom and Ahjos (1984) derived a relationship for macroseismic
Fig. 5 Siyskiy Monastery. Map approximately contemporary with the earthquake
Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150 145
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magnitude that is calculated on the basis of the radius of perceptibility and epicentral
intensity. Using a minimum radius of 400 km and a maximum value of 500 km and
epicentral intensities ranging from 6 to 7 (extrapolated from observed), macroseismic
magnitudes between 4.7 and 5.1 are obtained. In the Introduction to the New Catalog
(1977, 1982), N.V. Shebalin demonstrated that for the most of the data attenuation coef-
ficient m = 3.5 fits quite well, but for shield areas it can be as low as 3.0. Macroseismic
field equation with this value and epicentral intensity and radii of perceptibility mentioned
above gives a range of magnitudes from 4.8 to 5.7. In summary of Sect. 4 and the
discussion above, the proposed solution is as follows: date June (± 1 month) 3, 1626, time
3–5 a.m. local time, latitude 64.5�N ± 100 km, longitude 31.3�E ± 50 km, I0 = 6–7
(EMS), M = 4.7–5.7. Figure 6 shows a possible area of perceptibility for intensity I = 3
fitted to the available information and the intensity assessments above.
The epicenter is located in the Russian territory in the border area. It is obvious that it
cannot be pinpointed accurately. The available intensity data points (4–5 in Paltamo and 4
Fig. 6 A possible area of perceptibility for I = 3, epicenter area and tentative parameters for the scenarioof one earthquake in the spring of 1626. Error bars of 100 km in latitude and 50 km in longitude are plotted.Intensities are given on the European Macroseismic Scale (Grunthal 1998). Dashed pink marks areas whereground shaking was felt according to the contemporary documents
146 Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150
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in Siyskiy monastery) are located west and east-southeast of the proposed epicenter. They
constrain the longitude in that it cannot be moved substantially without having to change
the intensities. There are even less constrains on the latitude. The proposed epicenter is
located in an area almost devoid of seismicity according to recent high-quality seismic
recordings (Fig. 1). If the epicenter is moved northward, it coincides with the pronounced
earthquake activity bounded by the Kandalaksha-Puolanka and Kuusamo shear zones.
However, it is also known that earthquakes have occurred as surprises in places with very
little observed seismicity; thus the site cannot be argued convincingly on the basis of the
modern seismicity pattern either.
The new solution implies that seismic hazard in the region has to be reassessed. The
magnitude of the earthquake is of relevance when evaluating the seismic potential of the
region whether the epicenter coincides with an enhanced seismicity trend or not. In
comparison with the scenario of two different earthquakes, the intensities in the Russian–
Finnish border area are higher and may reach damaging levels; the radius of isoseismal 6 is
equal to 45 km using the available attenuation relationship. The investigated documents
also serve as reminders of site effects in the event of ground shaking. The pattern of
damaging ground shaking may be irregular and extend outside the epicenter area.
Acknowledgments This research was partly supported by RFBR grants 08-05-00598 and 10-05-00126.Travel grants based on contractual bilateral cooperation between the Russian Academy of Sciences and theAcademy of Finland are gratefully acknowledged.
Appendix 1: The sources in the original languages
Yakovleva (1958):
B keno 7134-uo uoly vabz d 4 leym npzckacz pevkz do dcev Govopbb, ya Cokodrax b dEcnm-Roke b ya Ldbye go Cbqcroq voyacnspm.
Dvinskiy Letopisets (PSRL, v. 33, p. 172):1627 u. O cnpaiyov npyce. Gpb cev doedole ,sk ya Ldbye cnpaiyoq npyc. B 135 uoly
vabz 20 leym d yelek. Bcex cdznsx, r goyelekmybry d 5 xacy yoxb upex palb yaibx
uyedov ,o;bbv gonpzcecz pevkz, b vyopb on k.leq bcnpzceybe pevkb dbleia, a bybbbk.lbe d no dpevz cgakb. B on nouo npyca k.leq ,ou govbkodak.
Rhyme chronicle of Finland. Messenius J (2004) Suomen riimikronikka (Rhyme
Chronicle of Finland). Edited and translated into Finnish by H. Lonnroth and M. Linna.
Publication no. 913 of Finnish Literature Society SKS, Helsinki (in Swedish):
Har nast will iagh wnderligh tingh
Skrifua, Som ahr then iordbafningh,
hon gonom hela finland gick,
En wdd ellenast skada fick
J Soknen ijo, och then wanck,
Sa han hijsligen neder sanck,
whr diupa wapnet [watnet] synes ap
Ey mehr an the hoga tras tap,
Efter iordbafningh aldrigh gatt
Kommer, Sa ahr och om then spat:
J Samma Sokn ahret thar nast,
En dagh regnar thar blod mast,
Som war then nyttonde april,
Ey haller gatt thet bada will,
Nat Hazards (2011) 57:133–150 147
123
Gudh ware oss nadigh, och hull,
For Sin Sons Jesu Christi Skull!
Scondia illustrata. Messenius J (1988) Suomen, Liivinmaan ja Kuurinmaan vaiheita
seka tuntemattoman tekijan Suomen kronikka (Episodes of life in Finland, Livonia and
Kurland and the Chronicle of Finland by an unkown author). Translated from Latin by
M. Linna, J. Lagerstedt and E. Palmen, Finnish Literature Society SKS, Helsinki (in
Finnish):
[1626] Kesakuun 13. paivan valjetessa Suomea vavahdutti kauhea maanjaristys. Sen
johdosta Iin pitajassa maa aleni varsin huomattavalla alueella, mika teki mahdolliseksi
jarven syntymisen juuri talle paikalle.
Johannes Andreae Cajanus: Cajanus JA (1663) Anno 1663 d. I Febr. …holts den
aldraforsta Visitation uti Paldamo … (Description of the municipality of Paltamo), Tid-ningar utgifne af ett Sallskap i Abo 1777 no. 16-18 (in Swedish):
Denne kyrckan (…); men i den stora jordbafningen, som ofwer storsta delen af
Osterbotn skedde 1626, pa Eskilli dag, fick hon en stor skada, at ostra gafwelen blef
alldeles lutande; och ifran den tiden hafwa Bonderna inte welat kosta pa kyrckan, hwarfore
kyckan nu synes falla omkull.
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