Personal Narrative Of Travels To The Equinoctial Regions Of America During The Years 1799-1804 - Volume 1 - By Alexander Von Humboldt And Aime Bonpland.
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Fishermen, Who Had Passed The Day Of The 26th Of March
In The Island Of Orchila, Thirty Leagues North-East Of La Guayra,
Felt No Shock.
These differences in the direction and propagation
of the shock, are probably owing to the peculiar position of the
stony strata.
Having thus traced the effects of the earthquake to the west of
Caracas, as far as the snowy mountains of Santa Martha, and the
table-land of Santa Fe de Bogota, we will proceed to consider their
action on the country eastward of the capital. The commotions were
very violent beyond Caurimare, in the valley of Capaya, where they
extended as far as the meridian of Cape Codera: but it is extremely
remarkable that they were very feeble on the coasts of Nueva
Barcelona, Cumana, and Paria; though these coasts are the
continuation of the shore of La Guayra, and were formerly known to
have been often agitated by subterranean commotions. Admitting that
the destruction of the four towns of Caracas, La Guayra, San
Felipe, and Merida, may be attributed to a volcanic focus situated
under or near the island of St. Vincent, we may conceive that the
motion might have been propagated from north-east to south-west in
a line passing through the islands of Los Hermanos, near
Blanquilla, without touching the coasts of Araya, Cumana, and Nueva
Barcelona. This propagation of the shock might even have taken
place without any commotion having been felt at the intermediate
points on the surface of the globe (the Hermanos Islands for
instance). This phenomenon is frequently remarked at Peru and
Mexico, in earthquakes which have followed during ages a fixed
direction.
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