The Galilee earthquake of 1837, often called the Safed earthquake, shakes the Galilee on January 1 and is one of a number of moderate to large events that have occurred along the Dead Sea Transform (DST) fault system that marks the boundary of two tectonic plates; the African Plate on the west and the Arabian Plate on the east. Intensity assessments for the event were VIII (Damaging) on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale and VIII (Heavily damaging) on the European Macroseismic Scale.
A 1977 assessment of the event that was published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America had the epicenter just north of the city of Safed and the magnitude of 6.25–6.5, but in 1997 seismologist Nicholas Ambraseys argued that the event may have been more substantial.
The event is well-documented by the nineteenth-century missionary, archaeologist, and author William McClure Thomson.
The region in which the earthquake occurs is part of the Ottoman empire but at this time it is under control of the Egyptians, who are occupying after seizing it during conflict.
