Recovering a lost seismic disaster. The destruction of El Castillejo and the discovery of the earliest historic earthquake affecting the Granada region (Spain)

PLoS One. 2024 Apr 17;19(4):e0300549. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300549. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

This paper discusses recent archaeological fieldwork conducted at El Castillejo, a medieval Islamic settlement in Los Guájares, Granada, southern Spain. Results from combined archaeological excavation and archaeoseismological assessment of standing structures suggest that the site was affected by a destructive earthquake during its occupation. Radiocarbon samples and OSL analysis point to a seismic event in the period CE 1224-1266. The earthquake occurred within an area marked by a 'seismological gap' in terms of historic seismicity and the causative fault has been tentatively identified in the Nigüelas-Padul Fault System which lies north of the settlement. This event is not recorded by national or European seismic catalogues and represents the oldest historic earthquake in the Granada area. Our work stresses the significant impact that targeted archaeological investigations can generate in our understanding of the local historic seismicity, thus providing clear implications for seismic disaster prevention and reduction.

MeSH terms

  • Archaeology
  • Disasters*
  • Earthquakes*
  • Islam
  • Spain

Grants and funding

PF was awarded a Marie Skłodowska Curie fellowship called ArMedEa (‘The archaeology of Earthquakes in medieval Europe’, grant n.626659) and a British Academy small grant (SRG/171316). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.