Earthquakes are defined as the violent shaking of the Earth’s crust that increases the likelihood of widespread destruction of a place.Significant movements have been recorded in the San Andreas fault. However, the first earthquake was recorded in California in 1769.It was noted by a few mariners involved in a Spanish expedition that was responsible for mapping out a new route for a place. On their way, members of the expedition felt a strong earthquake when they were camped along the Santa Ana bank. Some witnesses also exclaimed that the effects of the earthquake lasted for several days, which suggests that there were also many aftershocks. The magnitude of the earthquake was later determined to be moderate to strong.Earthquakes happen due to the friction in tectonic plates. It releases high-intensity waves that travel through the Earth’s crust. These released waves cause shaking on the surface. California experiences around 100 quakes per day, and a major shake is predicted in California by 2032 after the Ridgecrest incident in 2019. The most affected cities in California by the effects of earthquakes are Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Salinas. Read on to find more about earthquakes in this article.If you like this article and want to know more facts about earthquakes in the world, then keep on reading the articles on where do most earthquakes occur and the 1985 earthquake In Mexico facts.Shocking Facts About Big Earthquakes In CaliforniaCalifornia has witnessed some of the biggest magnitude earthquakes in history. California is an extremely earthquake-prone state in the U.S. The two biggest earthquakes ever recorded in California had a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale.In the year 1906, the San Francisco earthquake hit the northern coast of California early on the morning of April 18. It was one of the severest earthquakes of San Francisco history, killing thousands of people and damaging properties worth billions. Another earthquake of this immense magnitude was recorded way back in 1857. However, this earthquake had lesser consequences than the 1906 San Francisco earthquake since, at that time, California was still developing, and the area was not largely populated.The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was one of the biggest earthquakes faced by the United States. It struck the north California coast early in the morning, and high-intensity tremors were felt from the Eureka coast of the North Coast to Salinas Valley. It was a major agricultural region of the San Francisco Bay area. Soon after the earthquake struck the state, devastating fires broke out all over the city, whose effects lasted for days.This major earthquake is remembered as the worst in California’s history, more than 3000 people were killed, and 80% of parts of the city were destroyed. The death toll and damage caused by the earthquake remain the greatest in California’s history. Apart from San Francisco, other cities such as Santa Cruz, Monterey County, and San Benito also suffered from this large quake. Many buildings and bridges collapsed in these places.A rupture in the San Andreas fault formed this massive quake in California. The San Andreas fault is the tectonic boundary where the Pacific plate meets the North American plate. The fault runs throughout the length of California, making it prone to frequent earthquakes. Displacement in the adjoining tectonic plates caused these massive earthquakes in California, and the Fort Tejon earthquake was also an effect of the rupture in the San Andreas Fault.In the year 1857, California was struck with its biggest recorded earthquake for the first time. The Fort Tejon Earthquake took place in Central and Southern California with a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale. It ruptured around 75 mi (120.7 km) northwest of Bakersfield in the southern part of the San Andreas fault. Although the geological center of the quake was near Parkfield, it is still known as the Fort Tejon earthquake since Fort Tejon suffered the most significant losses because of this earthquake.Several mild foreshocks occurred earlier in the morning of January 9, 1857, which made the people prepared for more extensive damage. A substantial part of the San Andreas fault was ruptured in this process but not the entire fault. Nothing of that magnitude occurred before in California, and the quake’s effects were dramatic. However, the most unusual fact about this dramatic quake was that only two people were killed despite its massive effects. This is mainly because, at that time, California’s population was sparse, and the state was still getting ready.Some notable effects of the Fort Tejon earthquake were the Kern river turned upstream because of the tremors, waters of certain rivers and lakes like river Mokelumne and Los Angeles river flooded. Fishes from Tulare lake were stranded miles away from their original location. Deep cracks formed on the roads, and new springs were spotted after the earthquake. The damage in Fort Tejon was the most severe.Weird Facts About Big Earthquakes In CaliforniaThe list of massive earthquakes in California is essentially very long. Northern, central, and southern California has been shaken to the ground many times.The U.S. Geological Survey has numbered the significant quakes of California based on the severity and magnitude. The San Juan Capistrano earthquake in the year 1812 and the Kern County earthquake of 1952 were listed as the second most dangerous earthquakes after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the Fort Tejon earthquake of 1852. Both the earthquakes had 7.4 magnitudes on the Richter scale.In the year 1952, a strong tremor shook the ground of Kern County, and this massive quake made big news throughout the world the next day. The Kern County, California earthquake took place on the evening of July 21, 1952. It was the largest earthquake in California in the last 80 years. The magnitude of the shock ranged between 7.3-7.5 on the Richter scale. It corresponded to the extreme scale of the Mercalli intensity measurement.The earthquake took the lives of 12 people, and many people were injured. It damaged state property worth 60 million dollars. The main quake was followed by a long sequence of aftershocks whose effects lasted the rest of July and August. The intensities of these aftershocks ranged from strong to very strong and had magnitudes above five, but the strongest aftershock hit a month after the mainshock. A significant aftershock crumbled the county again on August 22 with a magnitude of 5.8.It was the most severe aftershock that took the life of two more people and destroyed additional properties of 10 million dollars. The earthquake ruptured the White Wolf Fault. Scientists examined the ground disturbances caused by the quake, and they inferred that they were significant. In Bakersfield, the consequences of this big earthquake were felt until the year 1990.The San Juan Capistrano earthquake occurred in 1812 in Atla, California. It took place on December 8 and was also known as the Capistrano earthquake or the Wrightwood earthquake. In that era, Spanish rule was still prevalent in North America. The magnitude of the San Juan Capistrano earthquake ranged from 6.9 on the low end to 7.5 on the high end of the Richter scale.The Mercalli intensities varied accordingly from very strong to violent. The exact rupturing location of this earthquake is uncertain, but it was certainly around the San Andreas fault system. The earthquake hit San Bernardino County near Wrightwood. A mass of people were praying in the Great Stone Church of San Juan Capistrano.The church collapsed when the tremors were felt, and more than 40 people lost their lives. Several other Roman catholic missions trembled. The information related to the old earthquake is not clear at present since, at that time, journalism was not as developed, but it is assumed that damages were also felt in other adjoining places.Disastrous Facts About Big Earthquakes In CaliforniaThe San Andreas Fault system runs throughout the range of California; therefore, adjustments in the tectonic plates give rise to huge quakes in the region.History is a witness to some of the greatest earthquakes that occurred in California. Some of the big earthquakes of higher intensity are regarded as the deadliest natural calamities of the United States. Thousands have lost their homes because of these big earthquakes in California. The facts about these disasters will keep you shaken.Owens Valley Earthquake ranks as the third deadliest earthquake in California in terms of magnitude. It took place on March 26 at night at the Owen Valley fault. The dip-slip and strike-slip types of faulting resulted in the Earth’s crust’s horizontal and vertical movement. This resulted in intensified tremors. Many people lost their houses, a row of homes in a community collapsed due to the earthquake, killing 27 people.The effects of the earthquake were also felt in Nevada apart from California. In San Diego, the clocks stopped due to the quake’s tremors. Many buildings in the street came crumbling down, and finally, the aftershock leveled down the tension. An interesting fact about the Owens earthquake is that many seismologists suggest that the earthquake’s intensity was actually much higher than the record that the geological departments provide.Landers earthquake on July 28, 1992, the largest earthquake in 40 years, hit the coasts of southern California. The epicenter was near the town of Landers in southern California. The earthquake struck with 7.3 intensity on the Richter scale and ruptured five faults simultaneously. The earthquake was felt in Los Angeles, Nevada, Arizona, and Idaho, even though it actually struck a sparsely populated area.The tremoring injured more than 400 people, and three people died. On the same morning, another big shock occurred in Big Bear, and it was later regarded as the major aftershock of the southern California earthquake. This earthquake also resulted in widespread destruction rupturing a long stretch of fault.The El-Mayor Cucapah earthquake was one of the deadliest earthquakes of recent times. Its epicenter lied at Baja California, but the tremors were felt in southern California, Nevada, and Arizona. Several lakes and ponds overflowed, destroying farmlands. On April 4, 2010, the earthquake took place and was the deadliest one to strike the area since 1892.An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 in the Richter scale struck the Mojave desert located north-northwest of Ridgecrest on July 5, 2019. On the morning of July 4, another foreshock of 6.4 magnitudes followed the mainshock. Multiple aftershocks followed the original event. It was the strongest and severest earthquake in the region in about 20 years, and the Ridgecrest quakes remain one of the biggest natural disasters of the current time.Northridge earthquake struck Northridge of Los Angeles on January 17, 1994, nearly 30 years ago. The magnitude of this massive quake was recorded at 6.7, and more than 22,000 citizens became homeless. The sizeable residential damage greatly affected the insurance companies that had to pay the insurance money to many families. After this incident, the engineers updated the building codes of Los Angeles.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for big earthquakes in California, then why not read about floods or the 1935 Houston flood.
Earthquakes are defined as the violent shaking of the Earth’s crust that increases the likelihood of widespread destruction of a place.
