At the end of Stratum III occupation at the Amman Citadel, a series of buildings in Areas B, C, and D suffered what Northedge and Bennett (1992:159-161) describe as “a further widespread abandonment.” The distribution of pottery on floors across these separate excavation areas—together with collapse evidence such as sherds of a cooking pot found “high up in the tumble” of Building 1, Room 4 in Area C—suggests a simultaneous and sudden destructive event. In Building D, the vault of Room D collapsed, requiring the east wall to be rebuilt before later reoccupation in Stratum IIb. The authors observe that the quality of construction was poor, leaving fewer diagnostic traces than in the better-documented mid-8th century CE Umayyad earthquake destruction.

They conclude that “the traces that were found, and the widespread nature of the abandonment, suggest quite strongly that the cause was an earthquake.” In contrast to the earlier mid-8th century CE event, this later Stratum III destruction “affected every building excavated in Areas B, C, and D,” including structures that had escaped lightly in the mid-8th century CE. No human or animal victims were found, leading to the suggestion that “a fore-shock may have given warning.” The abandonment following this destruction appears not to reflect the earthquake itself, but an inability to rebuild in a period of political and economic decline.

Dating the event is difficult. The latest coin recovered was a Fatimid dirham of Caliph al-Ẓāhir (r. 1021-1036 CE) establshing a terminus post quem of 1021 CE. Northedge and Bennett (1992:159-161) suggested that the Stratum III destruction pre-dated the Ayyubid Dynasty and the introduction of Pseudo-prehistoric ware which leads to a terminus ante quem of 1171 CE. This date was complicated by a pottery assemblage which included glazed fragments rare in earlier Fatimid contexts and more comparable to 12th–13th century Crusader and Middle Islamic period ceramics. Northedge and Bennett (1992:159-161) note that pottery dating in the 11th and 12th centuries CE "have not yet been securely established," an assessment more or less echoed by Sinibaldi (2014:240–241) who dealt with what appears to be the same earthquake at Tower B (aka the Ayyubid Tower or the Frankish Tower). Sinibaldi (2014:240–241) suggested that earthquake may have struck between mid-12th and mid-13th centuries CE which, if true extends the terminus ante quem to ~1250 CE.

Three major earthquakes were considered as possible causes: the 1033/4 Palestine Quake(s), the 1068 CE Quake(s), and the 1202 CE Quake(s). The 1033/4 Palestine Quake(s) was regarded by Northedge and Bennett as “an attractive option,” since a parallel destruction horizon was noted at Tiberias. However, the worn Fatimid dirham of al-Ẓāhir found in the layer suggests multi decade circulation, and the associated pottery appears too late for the first half of the 11th century.