List of earthquakes in California
Earthquakes in California are common occurrences since the state is located on the San Andreas Fault, which cuts across California and forms the tectonic plate boundary between the Pacific and the North American Plate. There are many thousands of small earthquakes per year, most of them so small that they are not felt. California's complex landscape can be attributed to the network of faults that run through the state. The earliest reported earthquake in California was felt in 1769 by the Portola expedition about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles.[1][2]
Summary[edit]
California has numerous active faults throughout the state which are known to produce large earthquakes. The most active of these is the San Jacinto Fault Zone in Southern California, which has produced large events on a regular basis throughout recent history. The Mendocino Triple Junction located offshore of Northern California is also very active, producing many earthquakes above M6 throughout history.[3] Northern California is also subject to megathrust earthquakes on the Cascadia subduction zone (extending north from Mendocino), such as the 1700 Cascadia earthquake, magnitude of approximately 9. The town of Parkfield in central California is located on a section of the San Andreas Fault that produces an earthquake of about M6 every 20–30 years on average in 1857, 1881, 1901, 1922, 1934, 1966 and 2004.[4]
The largest recorded earthquake in California was the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 7.9. This earthquake ruptured the San Andreas Fault from Parkfield to Wrightwood, a distance of 225 miles (350 km). The most destructive earthquake to date was the 7.8 magnitude 1906 San Francisco earthquake, when more than 3,000 people perished in the earthquake and the fires that followed. The 1906 quake ruptured the northern segment of the San Andreas Fault for 296 miles (477 km), from San Juan Bautista to near Cape Mendocino in the north.[5] More recently, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which registered 6.9 and affected the San Francisco Bay Area,[6] and the 1994 Northridge earthquake which registered 6.7 and hit the Greater Los Angeles Area,[7] caused widespread damage and deaths in their respective regions.
Earthquakes[edit]
Date | Area | M | MMI | Deaths | Injuries | Total damage / notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014-08-24 | North Bay | 6.0 | Mw | VIII | 1 | ~200 | $362 million–$1 billion | |
2014-03-28 | Los Angeles Area | 5.1 | Mw | VI | Few | $10.8 million | NGDC | |
2010-04-04 | Baja California | 7.2 | Mw | VII | 2–4 | 100–233 | $1.15 billion | |
2010-01-09 | North Coast | 6.5 | Mw | VI | 35 | $21.8–43 million | ||
2008-07-29 | Los Angeles Area | 5.5 | Mw | VI | 8 | Limited | ||
2007-10-30 | South Bay | 5.6 | Mw | VI | Minor | |||
2003-12-22 | Central Coast | 6.6 | Mw | VIII | 2 | 40 | $250–300 million | |
2000-09-03 | North Bay | 5.0 | Mw | VII | 41 | $10–50 million | ||
1999-10-16 | Eastern | 7.1 | Mw | VIII | 5 | Limited | ||
1994-12-26 | North Coast | 4.8 | Ms | VII | $2.1 million | [8] | ||
1994-01-17 | Los Angeles Area | 6.7 | Mw | IX | 57 | 8,700+ | $13–$40 billion | |
1992-06-28 | Inland Empire | 6.5 | Mw | VIII | Some | Moderate / triggered | ||
1992-06-28 | Inland Empire | 7.3 | Mw | IX | 3 | 400+ | $92 million | |
1992-04-26 | North Coast | 6.6 | Mw | VIII | Damage / triggered | |||
1992-04-26 | North Coast | 6.5 | Mw | VIII | Damage / triggered | |||
1992-04-25 | North Coast | 7.2 | Mw | IX | 98–356 | $48.3–75 million / tsunami | ||
1992-04-22 | Inland Empire | 6.2 | Mw | VII | 32 | Light–moderate | [9] | |
1991-08-17 | North Coast | 6.3 | Mw | VII | Damage / landslides | [10] | ||
1991-06-28 | Los Angeles Area | 5.6 | Mw | VII | 1 | 100–107 | $33.5–40 million | |
1990-02-28 | Los Angeles Area | 5.7 | Mw | VII | 30 | $12.7 million | ||
1989-10-17 | Santa Cruz Mountains | 6.9 | Mw | IX | 63 | 3,757 | $5.6–6 billion / tsunami | |
1989-08-08 | Santa Cruz Mountains | 5.4 | ML | VII | 1 | Moderate | ||
1987-11-24 | Imperial Valley | 6.5 | Mw | VII | Triggered | [11] | ||
1987-11-23 | Imperial Valley | 6.1 | Mw | VI | $3 million | [11] | ||
1987-10-01 | Los Angeles Area | 5.9 | Mw | VIII | 8 | 200 | $213–358 million | |
1986-07-21 | Eastern | 6.2 | Mw | VI | 2 | $2.7 million / sequence | ||
1986-07-08 | Inland Empire | 6.0 | Mw | VII | 29–40 | $4.5–6 million | ||
1984-04-24 | South Bay | 6.2 | Mw | VIII | 21–27 | $7.5–8 million | ||
1983-05-02 | Central Valley | 6.2 | Mw | VIII | 94 | $10 million | ||
1980-11-08 | North Coast | 7.3 | Mw | VII | 6 | $2–2.75 million | ||
1980-05-25 | Eastern | 6.2 | Mw | VII | 9 | $1.5 million / swarm | [12] | |
1980-01-26 | East Bay | 5.4 | Mw | VII | Doublet | [13] | ||
1980-01-24 | East Bay | 5.8 | Mw | VII | $11.5 million / doublet | [14] | ||
1979-10-15 | Imperial Valley | 6.4 | Mw | IX | 91 | $30 million | ||
1979-08-06 | South Bay | 5.7 | Mw | VII | 16 | $500,000 | ||
1978-08-13 | Central Coast | 5.8 | Mw | VII | 65 | $12 million | [15] | |
1975-08-01 | Butte County | 5.7 | ML | VIII | 10 | $3 million | NGDC | |
1973-02-21 | South Coast | 5.7 | Mb | VII | $1 million | NGDC | ||
1971-02-09 | Los Angeles Area | 6.5–6.7 | Mw | XI | 64 | 2,000 | $553 million | |
1969-10-01 | North Bay | 5.7 | Mw | VIII | Doublet | |||
1969-10-01 | North Bay | 5.6 | Mw | VII | 1 | $8.35 million / doublet | ||
1968-04-08 | Imperial Valley | 6.5 | Mw | VII | Damage / rockslides | [16] | ||
1957-03-22 | Bay Area | 5.7 | Mw | VII | 1 | 40 | $1 million | |
1954-12-21 | North Coast | 6.5 | ML | VII | 1 | Several | $2.1 million | [17] |
1952-08-22 | Central Valley | 5.8 | Mw | VIII | 2 | Several | $10 million | |
1952-07-21 | Central Valley | 7.3 | Mw | XI | 12 | Hundreds | $60 million | |
1948-12-04 | Inland Empire | 6.3 | ML | VII | Several | Minor | ||
1941-06-30 | Central Coast | 5.9 | Mw | VIII | $100,000 | [18] | ||
1940-05-18 | Imperial Valley | 6.9 | Mw | X | 9 | 20 | $6 million | |
1933-03-10 | South Coast | 6.4 | Mw | VIII | 115–120 | $40 million | ||
1932-06-06 | North Coast | 6.4 | Mw | VIII | 1 | 3 | Severe | |
1927-11-04 | Central Coast | 7.3 | Mw | VIII | Moderate / tsunami | [19] | ||
1925-06-29 | Central Coast | 6.8 | Mw | IX | 13 | $8 million | ||
1923-01-22 | North Coast | 7.2 | Ms | VIII | Severe / tsunami | [20] | ||
1920-06-21 | Los Angeles Area | 4.9 | ML | VIII | More than $100,000 | [21] | ||
1918-04-21 | Inland Empire | 6.7 | Mw | IX | 1 | Several | $200,000 | |
1915-06-22 | Imperial Valley | 5.5 | Mw | VIII | Additional damage / doublet | [22] | ||
1915-06-22 | Imperial Valley | 5.5 | Mw | VIII | 6 | $900,000 / doublet | [22] | |
1906-04-18 | Northern–Central | 7.8 | Mw | XI | 3000 | Conflagration / tsunami | ||
1899-12-25 | Inland Empire | 6.7 | Mw | IX | 6 | $50,000 or more | [23] | |
1898-03-30 | North Bay | 6.2 | MLa | VIII | $350,000 / severe | [24] | ||
1892-04-21 | Central Valley | 6.2 | MLa | IX | Doublet | |||
1892-04-19 | North Bay | 6.4 | MLa | IX | 1 | $225,000–250,000 / doublet | ||
1892-02-23 | Baja California | 7.1–7.2 | Mw | VIII | Moderate | |||
1872-03-26 | Eastern | 7.4–7.9 | Mw | X | 27 | 56 | $250,000 | |
1868-10-21 | Bay Area | 6.8–7.0 | ML | IX | 30 | $350,000 | ||
1865-10-08 | Santa Cruz Mountains | 6.3 | MLa | VIII | $500,000 | [25] | ||
1857-01-09 | Central–Southern | 7.9 | Mw | IX | 2 | Severe | ||
1838-06 | Bay Area | 7.0 | MLa | VIII | Minor | [26] | ||
1812-12-21 | Central Coast | 7.1 | MLa | VIII | 1 | Tsunami | [26] | |
1812-12-08 | Inland Empire | 6.9 | ML | VIII | 40 | Moderate | ||
Note: Stover & Coffman 1993 uses various seismic scales. MLa is a local magnitude (equivalent to ML) for events that occurred prior to the instrumental period and is based on the area of perceptibility (as presented on isoseismal maps). The list includes events that occurred offshore or in Baja California, Mexico. The inclusion criteria for adding events are based on WikiProject Earthquakes' notability guideline that was developed for stand alone articles. The principles described are also applicable to lists. In summary, only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded. |
See also[edit]
- Berkeley Seismological Laboratory
- California earthquake forecast
- Caltech Seismological Laboratory
- Geography of California
- Parkfield earthquake
- Southern California Earthquake Center
References[edit]
- ^ "Earthquake History for California". Info from USGS. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
- ^ "Earthquake Facts". data from USGS. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ Mendocino Triple Junction Offshore Northern California
- ^ The Parkfield, California, Earthquake Experiment USGS
- ^ The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake USGS
- ^ "October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake". data from USGS. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ "January 17, 1994 Northridge, CA Earthquake". Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ USGS. "M4.8 - 10km W of Humboldt Hill, California". United States Geological Survey.
- ^ USGS. "M6.2 - Southern California". United States Geological Survey.
- ^ USGS. "M6.3 - offshore Northern California". United States Geological Survey.
- ^ a b Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 98, 179, 180
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 95, 168
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 95, 166, 167
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 94, 166, 167
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 94, 163
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 91, 154
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 88, 148
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 82, 136
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 77, 128
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 77, 125
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 76, 124
- ^ a b Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 76, 121
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 74, 113
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 74, 112
- ^ Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 73, 104
- ^ a b Stover & Coffman 1993, pp. 72, 100
- Sources
- NGDC, Significant Earthquake Database, National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA, doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
- Stover, C. W.; Coffman, J. L. (1993), Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised), U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Earthquakes in California. |
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Look up earthquake in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- California Earthquake Information – USGS
- Broadband Seismic Data Collection Center – University of California, San Diego
- Southern California Earthquake Data Center
- Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country An Earthquake Science and Preparedness Handbook produced by SCEC
- UCSD Broadband Seismic Data Collection Center – small localized broadband seismic network monitoring the San Jacinto and San Andreas fault zones, located in Southern California