1992 Landers earthquake
 Palm Springs
Los Angeles
 |
|
| Date | June 28, 1992 |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 7.3 Mw |
| Depth | 0.68 miles (1.09 km) |
| Epicenter | 34°13′01″N 116°25′59″W / 34.217°N 116.433°WCoordinates: 34°13′01″N 116°25′59″W / 34.217°N 116.433°W |
| Type | Strike-slip |
| Areas affected |
Southern California United States |
| Total damage | $92 million |
| Max. intensity | IX (Violent) |
| Foreshocks | 6.1 Mw April 23 at 4:51 |
| Casualties | 3 killed 400+ injured |
The 1992 Landers earthquake occurred on June 28 with an epicenter near the town of Landers, California. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent).
At 4:57 a.m. local time (11:57 UTC) on June 28, 1992, a large M7.3 earthquake awoke much of Southern California. Though it turned out it was not the so-called "Big One" as many people would think, it was still a very strong earthquake. The shaking lasted for two to three minutes. Although this earthquake was much more powerful than the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the damage and loss of life were minimized by its location in the sparsely-populated Mojave Desert.
The earthquake was a right-lateral strike-slip event, and involved the rupture of several different faults over a length of 75 to 85 km (47 to 53 mi). The names of those that were involved are the Johnson Valley, Kickapoo (also known as Landers), Homestead Valley, Homestead/Emerson, Emerson Valley and Camp Rock faults.
The surface rupture extended for 70 km (43 mi), with a maximum horizontal displacement of 5.5 m (18 ft) and a maximum vertical displacement of 1.8 m (5.9 ft).
Damage to the area directly surrounding the epicenter was severe. Roads were buckled, buildings and chimneys collapsed. There were also large surface fissures. To the west in the Los Angeles Basin damage was much less severe. The majority of damage in the Los Angeles area involved items which had fallen off shelves. Unlike the 1994 Northridge earthquake nineteen and a half months later, no freeway bridges collapsed because of the epicenter's remote location. Electricity was disabled to thousands of residents, but was generally restored within two to three hours. There was also some damage to homes from water displaced from swimming pools.
Loss of life in this earthquake was minimal. Two people died as a result of heart attacks. A 3-year-old boy from Massachusetts, who was visiting Yucca Valley with his parents, died when bricks from a chimney collapsed into a living room where he was sleeping and more than 400 people sustained injuries as a result of the earthquake.
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