On the night of the 21st of March, 1972, an earthquake struck close to Malta, causing immediate and widespread panic across Malta.

Despite resulting in no casualties and some damage, the fear of aftershocks or building collapse led to a mass evacuation, with countless people spending the rest of the night in open spaces like Ta’ Qali.

The Seismic Monitoring & Research Group of the University of Malta is inviting the public to complete a questionnaire to gather detailed accounts of this event. This will help determine precisely which locality felt the tremor most to help us construct an intensity map.

The Group said that it would also like to understand if the decision to sleep outdoors was a spontaneous, collective reaction to fear and rumours or if it was prompted by any official instruction.

This initiative is part of a University of Malta research project by the Department of Geosciences student Sarah Camilleri that aims to revisit the earthquake from a scientific and social point of view.

The group encourages those that remember to please fill in the questionnaire as it will help them to:

Better understand the intensity and impact of the earthquake across different areas;

Compare public experience with scientific data;

Preserve a piece of Malta’s seismic history.

The questionnaire is short and anonymous, and is open to anyone who was in Malta at the time of the event. It can be accessed online by clicking here

If anyone needs further information or help filling in the form, please call: 23406189.

Photo: The Seismic Monitoring & Research Group

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