1522 Vila Franca earthquake [SEP] point in time
1522 Vila Franca earthquake
The 1522 Vila Franca earthquake, alternately the 1522 Vila Franca landslide () refers to the great earthquake and landslides that occurred between 21–22 October 1522, in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo (then provincial capital), on the island of São Miguel, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.
The earthquakes' epicentre were situated several kilometres north-northwest of Vila Franca, and had a maximum intensity of X ("Very destructive") on the European macroseismic scale. This resulted in
of São Miguel.
The greatest tragedy to befall the Azores occurred on 20 October 1522, when a violent earthquake hit the area of Vila Franca do Campo, then capital of the archipelago and most important Azorean settlement. During the earthquake and subsequent landslide, 5000 people were killed, with then Captain-Donatário Rui Gonçalves da Câmara II escaping the tragedy: he was relaxing in his summer home in Lagoa at the time of the tragedy. Many of the residents were buried alive from a landslide and debris. Because of its