The 1570 temblor caused a 4- to 6-inch (10 to 15 centimeters) uplift of the right flank of the river and resulted in a major one-time shift of the final portion of the waterway, according to geoscientists Livio Sirovich and Franco Pettenati of the National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS) in Trieste. As a result of the quake, the river’s delta moved 25 miles (40 kilometers) north, to its current position.
The 1570 quake was a 5.8-magnitude event and caused widespread damage in the city of Ferrara. At the time, Pope Pius V blamed God’s wrath for the destruction, because the city was a refuge for Jews. The damage prompted Italian architect Pirro Ligorio to invent the first buildings designed to withstand earthquakes, according to Italian historians.
Comments 1
1570 is not the middle ages.