The earthquake in Unterwalden on September 18, 1601: A historico-critical macroseismic evaluation

The present study is part of the new Earthquake Catalogue of Switzerland (ECOS). It combines historical information clearly categorized according to its quality, with the aim of assessing the intensity and magnitude of the 1601 earthquake in Unterwalden. On the basis of eyewitness testimonies, subsidized by copies of lost sources, the epicenter can be located in Unterwalden, with an epicentral intensity of VIII and a moment magnitude of 6.2. Consequently, the 1601 earthquake is the strongest known event in central Switzerland of the post millenium and among the seven strongest events in Switzerland during the last millennium.