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Large earthquakes in the United States, magnitude 7 and greater. USGS National Earthquake Information Center.
Chronological
Alphabetical
Magnitude
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Effects of the 1812 earthquake on the San Juan Capistrano Mission. Top: Sketch made in 1850. Bottom: Photograph taken in 1876 shows further damage from weathering and neglect. Kozak Collection, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: December 8, 1812
Time: Mid-morning
Location: Uncertain; probably on San Andreas fault near Wrightwood
Magnitude: MW 7.5 (estimated)
Modified Mercalli Intensity: IX
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Rupture Length: ~170 km (~106 miles)
Deaths: 40
More information:
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La Purisima Concepcion. Mission buildings damaged by earthquake, fire, and exposure to the elements. Kozak Collection, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: December 21, 1812
Location: Uncertain; possibilities include offshore in Santa Barbara Channel, inland in Santa Barbara County, and inland in Ventura County.
Magnitude: MW 7.1
Modified Mercalli Intensity: X
Deaths: 0
More information:
Mud volcanoes on the west side of Volcano Lake, similar to those that erupted after the 1852 earthquake. D. T. MacDougal. National Earthquake Information Center, USGS.
Date: November 29, 1852
Time: About noon
Location: ~48 km (~30 miles) SW of Yuma, Arizona
Magnitude: ML 6.5
Fault Type: Uncertain; probably right-lateral strike-slip
More information:
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Santa Cruz Mission in ruins. A sketch made one day after the earthquake. Kozak Collection, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: January 9, 1857
Time: 8:20 A.M. PST
Location: 72 km (45 miles) NE of San Luis Obispo; 120 km (75 miles) NW of Bakersfield; see map
Magnitude: MW 7.9
Modified Mercalli Intensity: X-XI
Fault: San Andreas fault
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Rupture Length: ~360 km (~225 miles)
Maximum Horizontal Displacement: ~9 meters (~30 feet)
Deaths: 2
Damage: Heavy propery loss at Fort Tejon
More information:
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Left: Courthouse at Independence. Right: Munzinger & Lubken's Brewery in Lone Pine. Kozak Collection, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: March 26, 1872
Time: 2:30 A.M. PST
Location: Lone Pine
Magnitude: MW 7.8
Modified Mercalli Intensity: IX
Fault: Owens Valley fault
Fault Type: Right-lateral dip-slip
Rupture Length: 160 km (100 miles)
Maximum Horizontal Displacement: 7 meters (23 feet)
Maximum Vertical Displacement: 1 meter (~3 feet)
Deaths: At least 27
Damage: $250,000
More information:
Date: February 23, 1892
Time: 11:20 P.M. PST
Location: ~20 km (~13 miles) SW of Mexicali, Mexico; ~125 km (~80 miles) east of San Diego
Magnitude: MW 7.0, ML 7.8
Fault: Laguna Salada fault zone
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Deaths: 0
More information:
Damage typical of buildings in the towns of San Jacinto and Hemet. This was the Pomengia Building in San Jacinto. The San Jacinto Mountains can be seen in the distance. E. W. Claypole, SCEC Data Center.
Date: December 25, 1899
Time: 4:25 A.M. PST
Location: ~16 km (~10 miles) SE of San Jacinto; ~115 km (~72 miles) ESE of Los Angeles
Magnitude: MW 6.6
Modified Mercalli Intensity: IX
Fault: San Jacinto fault
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Deaths: 6
More information:
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View southwest from corner of Geary and Mason streets, San Francisco. April 20, 1906. From Earth Science Photographs from the U.S. Geological Survey Library, by Joseph K. McGregor and Carl Abston, U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DDS-21, 1995.
Date: April 18, 1906
Time: 5:12 A.M. PST
Location: San Francisco
Magnitude: MW 7.7, ML 8.25
Modified Mercalli Intensity: IX-XI
Fault: San Andreas fault
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Rupture Length: 430 km (267 miles)
Maximum Horizontal Displacement: 6.4 meters (21 feet)
Maximum Vertical Displacement: 0.9 meter (~3 feet)
Deaths: 3000 (estimated)
Damage: $524 million
More information:
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Damage to unit masonry buildings in San Jacinto.Steinbrugge Collection, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: April 21, 1918
Time: 2:32 P.M. PST
Location: Near the town of San Jacinto, about 112 km (70 miles) ESE of Los Angeles
Magnitude: MW 6.6
Fault: San Jacinto fault
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Deaths: 1
More information:
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The Sheffield Dam after the 1925 earthquake. Located within the city limits. Capacity of 45,000,000 gallons, 219 meters (720 feet) long, and 7.6 meters (25 feet) high. Water face covered with 15 cm (6 inches) of concrete paving reinforced. It is believed that the dam failed largely because of saturation of a plane near the base, as seepage water below the dam had been noted for some time. Steinbrugge Collection, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: June 29, 1925
Time: 6:44 A.M. PST
Location: 12 km (8 miles) SW of Santa Barbara
Magnitude: ML 6.3
Fault Type: Uncertain; probably left-lateral reverse
Deaths: 13
Damage: $8 million
More information:
Date: November 4, 1927
Time: 5:49 A.M. PST
Location: In the Lompoc area, ~16 km (~10 miles) offshore
Magnitude: MW 7.3
Modified Mercalli Intensity: IX
Fault: Uncertain; possibly the Hosgri fault
Fault Type: Uncertain
Deaths: 0
More information:
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Damage to wood frame dwelling. Steinbrugge Collection, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: March 10, 1933
Time: 5:54 P.M. PST
Location: 5 km (3 miles) south of Huntington Beach
Magnitude: MW 6.4
Modified Mercalli Intensity: VIII
Fault: Newport-Inglewood fault zone
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Deaths: 120
Damage: $50 million
More information:
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Air view of offset in rows of orange trees. Looking north. Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: May 18, 1940
Time: 8:37 P.M. PST
Location: 8 km (5 miles) N of Calexico, 145 km (90 miles) E of San Diego
Magnitude: MW 6.9
Modified Mercalli Intensity: X
Fault: Imperial fault
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Rupture Length: ~65 km (~40 miles)
Maximum Surface Offset: ~4.5 meters (~15 feet)
Deaths: 8
Damage: $6 million
More information:
Date: October 21, 1942
Time: 9:30 A.M. PWT (Pacific War Time; same as PDT)
Location: ~45 km (~28 miles) W of Brawley; ~95 km (~60 miles) E of San Diego
Magnitude: MW 6.6
Fault: Coyote Creek fault, San Jacinto fault zone
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip?
Deaths: 0
More information:
Date: April 10, 1947
Time: 7:58 A.M. PST
Location: 40 km (25 miles) E of Barstow; ~192 km (120 miles) NE of Los Angeles
Magnitude: MW 6.5
Fault: Manix fault
Fault Type: Left-lateral strike-slip
Rupture Length: ~5 km (~3 miles)
Maximum Surface Displacement: ~5 cm (~2 inches)
Deaths: 0
More information:
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Rear of buldings on Main Street, Tehachapi, California. Steinbrugge Collection, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: July 21, 1952
Time: 4:52 A.M. PDT
Location: 37 km (23 miles) S of Bakersfield
Magnitude: MW 7.5
Modified Mercalli Intensity: X-XI
Fault: White Wolf fault
Fault Type: Reverse, with left-lateral component
Horizontal Displacement: As much as 45 cm (~18 inches)
Vertical Displacement: As much as 60 cm (~24 inches)
Deaths: 12
Damage: $60 million
More information:
Date: August 22, 1952
Time: 3:41 P.M. PDT
Location: 10 km (6 miles) ESE of Bakersfield
Magnitude: ML 5.8
Modified Mercalli Intensity: VIII
Fault: Same as Kern County 1952 earthquake (this was an aftershock)
Fault Type: Same as Kern Country 1952 earthquake
Deaths: 2
Damage: $10 million
More information:
Date: April 8, 1968
Time: 6:29 P.M. PDT
Location: ~1.5 km (~1 mile) N of Ocotillo Wells; ~64 km (~40 miles) S of Indio
Depth: 20 km (12 miles)
Magnitude: MW 6.5
Fault: Coyote Creek fault
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Rupture Length: ~33 km (~20 miles)
Maximum Surface Offset: 38 cm (16 inches)
More information:
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View of the collapse of the South Connector Overcrossing, located in the Route 14/I-5 Interchange, during the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The structure consisted of two 54-meter continuous prestressed concrete box girder spans that were supported at their ends at hinge seats on the end of the cantilevered parts of the adjacent spans. The two continuous spans were supported by a single 1.8 x 3-meter cross-section column that was approximately 43 m high. As shown in this slide, the two continuous spans and the supporting column fell down. Godden Collection, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: February 9, 1971
Time: 6:01 A.M. PST
Location: Sylmar-San Fernando area
Depth: 8.4 km (5.2 miles)
Magnitude: MW 6.6
Modified Mercalli Intensity: VIII-IX
Fault: San Fernando fault zone; minor offset reported on the eastern Santa Susana fault zone
Fault Type: Thrust fault
Rupture Length: ~19 km (~12 miles)
Maximum Slip: 2 meters (~6 feet)
Deaths: 65
Damage: $500 million
More information:
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Collapse of a steel tank during the 1979 Imperial Valley Earthquake. Steinbrugge Collection, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.
Date: October 15, 1979
Time: 4:54 P.M. PDT
Location: ~29 km (~18 miles) SE of El Centro
Magnitude: MW 6.4
Modified Mercalli Intensity: IX
Faults: Imperial (main and North Extension) fault zone, Brawley fault zone, and Rico fault
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Rupture Length: 30 km (~19 miles) of the Imperial fault zone, 13 km (8 miles) of the Brawley fault zone, and 1 km (0.6 mile) of the Rico fault
Maximum Horizontal Displacement: 55 cm (22 inches)
Maximum Vertical Displacement: 19 cm (7.5 inches)
Damage: $30 million
More information:
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Pancaked upper deck, Cypress viaduct. Guard rail at right is on lower deck. H.G. Wilshire, U.S. Geological Survey.
Date: October 17, 1989
Time: 5:04 P.M. PDT
Location: Santa Cruz Mountains, ~96 km (~60 miles) S of San Francisco, 16 km (10 miles) NE of Santa Cruz
Depth: 17.7 km (11 miles)
Magnitude: MW 7.2
Modified Mercalli Intensity: X
Fault: San Andreas
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip and reverse slip
Deaths: 63
Damage: $6.8 billion
More information:
Date: April 22, 1992
Time: 9:50 P.M. PDT
Location: 18 km (11 miles) east of Desert Hot Springs; 29 km (18 miles) north of Indio
Depth: 12.4 km (7.7 miles)
Magnitude: MW 6.1
Fault: Probably Eureka Peak fault
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
More information:
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The surface rupture of the Landers earthquake tore across the pavement of Highway 247, showing strike-slip offset quite dramatically. SCEC Data Center.
Date: June 28, 1992
Time: 4:57 A.M. PDT
Location: 6 miles N of Yucca Valley
Depth: 1.1 km (0.7 mile)
Magnitude: MW 7.3, MS 7.6
Modified Mercalli Intensity: VIII-IX
Faults: Johnson Valley, Landers, Homestead Valley, Emerson, Camp Rock
Fault Type: Right-lateral strike-slip
Rupture Length: 85 km (~53 miles)
Maximum Slip: 6 meters (~20 feet)
Deaths: 1
More information:
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Tangled, collapsed stairwell at the northeast corner of the California State University, Northridge, parking structure. Total damage to the campus was estimated at between $250 and $350 million. Ken Fowler, SCEC Data Center.
Date: January 17, 1994
Time: 4:31 A.M. PST
Location: 32 km (20 miles) WNW of Los Angeles; 0.6 km (1 mile) SSW of Northridge
Depth: 18.4 km (11.4 miles)
Magnitude: MW 6.7
Modified Mercalli Intensity: VIII
Fault: : Northridge Thrust (Oak Ridge fault)
Fault Type: Blind thrust
Rupture Area: 15 by 20 km (9 by 12 miles)
Deaths: 56
Damage: $15 billion
More information: