The 1620 and 1644 Earthquakes in Alcoy and the Eastern Region of Spain

The 2 December 1620 earthquake, which caused considerable damage to the town of Alcoy in eastern Spain, and the seismic sequence of June 1644 in the region from Alcoy to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea are studied using contemporary sources. Focal parameters are determined for the 1620 shock and the three mainshocks of the 1644 sequence on 15, 19, and 26 June. The distribution of damage and casualties from the 1620 earthquake in Alcoy leads to the assignment of maximum intensities of VIII-IX. A solution is presented for problems concerning dates, locations, and sizes of the three largest shocks of the 1644 sequence given in previous catalogs and studies.