1903 Oceana earthquake

The 1903 Oceana earthquake was a 6.5 magnitude earthquake (estimated) on 14 March, 1903, and it is the strongest recorded earthquake to have occurred in Oceana. The earthquake occurred around 6:50 in the early morning and lasted for about twenty-one "counts" (roughly thirty seconds). It was followed by several aftershocks up to 4.6 on the Richter scale (estimated) three days later on 17 March. The earthquake caused a lot of damage and destroyed several farmer colonies, including all those on the City Archipelago. The epicenter was probably located off-shore, about four miles northwest of Overbanken, Hurbanova.

Damage
The 1903 Oceana earthquake is the most destructive earthquake to have occurred in Lovia but not the most lethal. There were three casualties in Hurbanova, six in Scotland, two on the City Archipelago and one man died in an unnamed German speaking hamlet on the northern coast of Oceana, bringing the total number of human loss of life at twelve people. It was estimated that about 50% of domesticated bovine cattle (roughly 2.500) were either killed or injured to such extent that they had to be slaughtered. The main reason for this is because in March the animals were still in their poorly constructed stalls while the earthquake shook the ground. After the event, the number of cattle remained low and never reached 5.000 again (being replaced by other livestock such as sheep and goats). Large parts of the Oceana Forests were also badly damaged.

Especially hard hit was the City Archipelago. The forests on the Isle of London and Isle of Frisco were almost completely shorn to the ground. The Isle of Frisco remained treeless to this day. The third island of the archipelago, the Isle of Bratislava, got the full load, being closest to the epicenter. The island sank approximately twelve meters, covering most inhabited parts with a few meters of water. The 57 meter high peak of the island, Sustorcheny Gord, collapsed. The flood wave coming shortly after the quake covered the entire island and spread out all higher points over the newly formed sea-bed. The afterquakes only intensified this effect and by the end of April the highest point of the island was three to four meters. Years of erosion eventually made the last parts of the island above sea-level (at high tide) disappear in the early seventies. Nowadays, the highest point at low tide is Melany Johnson Flat (0.6 m), which is 2.7 m underneath sea-level at low tide. All settlements in the region were abandoned.

On the mainland, Scotland was hard hit. The hamlet was located near several streams which were canalized in order to prevent floodings. The earthquake destroyed practically all dams and dikes, causing the water to flood several square miles of land. The waterworks were fixed later on but the floodings never stopped. One year later, Scotland was abandoned. Other settlements also reported damage; several buildings in Hurbanova collapsed. The western and eastern coast of Oceana and the western coast of Stephen's Headland were hit by huge waves up to five meters high. Many farmer hamlets in the region were destroyed and, as a consequence of that, abandoned. In East Hills and Clave Rock boulders fell down off the cliffs onto the lower lying roads and houses. Outside Oceana and Northern Sylvania, Lovia hardly suffered any damage, although the quake was felt across the entire country.