In Portugal

The 1909 Benavente earthquake occurred on 23 April at 17:39 GMT with an epicenter in the Lisbon region of Portugal. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude of 6.0 and had maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Beneath the Lower Tagus Valley, where the earthquake occurred, is a system of normal faults that were reactivated during the Eocene as reverse faults. The earthquake was caused by movement along one of these buried faults. At least 30 people died and 75 people were injured; the towns of Samora Correia and Muge in Benavente were the hardest-hit, with 90 percent of it destroyed. Another 13,000 people were made homeless. In Lisbon, the earthquake caused minor damage to some homes, started fires, and injured several people.