1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Image of collapsed double-decker freeway structure in Oakland, California
|
|
 Santa Cruz
Oakland
Salinas
 |
|
| Date | October 17, 1989 |
|---|---|
| Origin time | 5:04:15 p.m. PDT |
| Duration | 8–15 seconds |
| Magnitude | 6.9 Mw |
| Depth | 12 mi (19 km) |
| Epicenter | 37°02′N 121°53′W / 37.04°N 121.88°WCoordinates: 37°02′N 121°53′W / 37.04°N 121.88°W |
| Type | Oblique-slip |
| Areas affected |
Central Coast (California) San Francisco Bay Area United States |
| Total damage | $5.6–6 billion |
| Max. intensity | IX (Violent) |
| Peak acceleration | 0.65g (at epicenter) |
| Tsunami | Yes |
| Landslides | 1,000–4,000 |
| Foreshocks | 5.3 ML June 27, 1988 5.4 ML August 8, 1989 |
| Casualties | 63 killed, 3,757 injured |
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred in Northern California on October 17 at 5:04 p.m. local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park approximately 10 mi (16 km) northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of the San Andreas Fault System and was named for the nearby Loma Prieta Peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. With a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), the shock was responsible for 63 deaths and 3,757 injuries. The Loma Prieta segment of the San Andreas Fault System had been relatively inactive since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (to the degree that it was designated a seismic gap) until two moderate foreshocks occurred in June 1988 and again in August 1989.
Damage was heavy in Santa Cruz County and less so to the south in Monterey County, but effects extended well to the north into the San Francisco Bay Area, both on the San Francisco Peninsula and across the bay in Oakland. No surface faulting occurred, though a large number of other ground failures and landslides were present, especially in the Summit area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Liquefaction was also a significant issue, especially in the heavily damaged Marina District of San Francisco, but its effects were also seen in the East Bay, and near the shore of Monterey Bay, where a non-destructive tsunami was also observed.
...
Wikipedia