See more
When was the 1906 San Francisco earthquake related to the San Andreas Fault?
April 18, 19065:12 AM - April 18, 1906 Rupturing the northernmost 296 miles (477 kilometers) of the San Andreas fault from northwest of San Juan Bautista to the triple junction at Cape Mendocino, the earthquake confounded contemporary geologists with its large, horizontal displacements and great rupture length.
What type of fault was the San Francisco earthquake 1906?
strike-slip faultThe San Andreas Fault—made infamous by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—is a strike-slip fault. This means two fault blocks are moving past each other horizontally. Strike-slip faults tend to occur along the boundaries of plates that are sliding past each other.
Will San Francisco be affected by the San Andreas Fault?
The strike-slip earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault are a result of this plate motion. There is nowhere for California to fall, however, Los Angeles and San Francisco will one day be adjacent to one another!
How much slip did the San Andreas Fault move in San Francisco's 1906 earthquake?
The earthquake ruptured the ground for 296 miles (477 kilometers) along the northernmost section of the San Andreas Fault, and the ground surfaces on either side of the rupture slipped more than 20 feet away from each other in some places.
Is San Francisco built on a fault line?
San Francisco, Sacramento and the Sierra Nevada are on the North American Plate. The two plates crisscross with many active and passive earthquake faults. The communities of Daly City, Point Reyes Station and Bodega Bay lie squarely on the San Andreas.
Does the San Andreas Fault cause earthquakes?
Seismologists discovered that the San Andreas Fault near Parkfield in central California consistently produces a magnitude 6.0 earthquake approximately once every 22 years.
How overdue is the San Andreas fault?
California is about 80 years overdue for “The Big One”, the kind of massive earthquake that periodically rocks California as tectonic plates slide past each other along the 800-mile long San Andreas fault.
What cities will be affected most by San Andreas fault?
The fault line runs deep under some of California's most populated areas, such as Daly City, Desert Hot Springs, Frazier Park, Palmdale, Point Reyes, San Bernardino, Wrightwood, Gorman, and Bodega Bay.
Which cities will be affected by San Andreas fault?
And despite San Francisco's legendary 1906 earthquake, the San Andreas Fault does not go through the city. But communities like Desert Hot Springs, San Bernardino, Wrightwood, Palmdale, Gorman, Frazier Park, Daly City, Point Reyes Station and Bodega Bay lie squarely on the fault and are sitting ducks.
What happens if the San Andreas Fault cracks?
If a large earthquake ruptures the San Andreas fault, the death toll could approach 2,000, and the shaking could lead to damage in every city in Southern California — from Palm Springs to San Luis Obispo, seismologist Lucy Jones has said.
Where does the San Andreas Fault run through San Francisco?
San Andreas Fault in San Francisco The fault turns offshore near Mussel Rock, the epicenter of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Several spots in San Francisco are reminders of that event. It comes back onshore north of Stinson Beach, goes underwater beneath Tomales Bay, and crosses Point Reyes.
What was the San Andreas Fault named after?
San Andreas LakeThe San Andreas Fault received its name from Andrew Lawson after the 1906 earthquake. He named it for San Andreas Lake, a (now) man-modified sag pond in San Mateo county through which the fault passes.
Where is the San Andreas Fault?
San Andreas Fault, major fracture of the Earth's crust in extreme western North America. The fault trends northwestward for more than 800 miles (1,300 km) from the northern end of the Gulf of California through western California, U.S., passing seaward into the Pacific Ocean in the vicinity of San Francisco.
What was the San Andreas Fault named after?
San Andreas LakeThe San Andreas Fault received its name from Andrew Lawson after the 1906 earthquake. He named it for San Andreas Lake, a (now) man-modified sag pond in San Mateo county through which the fault passes.
What damage did the 1906 San Francisco earthquake cause?
Buildings Destroyed - 28,000 Wood buildings lost = 24,671 (photo) Brick buildings lost = 3,168 (photos) Total buildings lost = 28,188 (photos)
What caused the fires of San Francisco Earthquake 1906?
The greatest damage of the 1906 earthquake occurred when many of San Francisco's water and gas mains were ruptured. Leaking gas was the catalyst for fires that quickly spread throughout the city and the lack of water made fire fighting a challenge.
What earthquake was the San Francisco peninsula?
Photograph taken along the San Francisco peninsula after the 1906 earthquake showing 3 distinct fault traces offsetting a fence. This photograph provides an estimate of the total offset. Courtesy of Bancroft Library.
What year was the San Andreas earthquake?
1906 Historical research on the San Andreas Fault. The 1906 earthquake was the first earthquake in the U.S. to be scientifically studied, and the State Earthquake Investigation Commission (SEIC) published a very thorough and important scientific report, published in 1908 (A.C. Lawson, ed.). Recent research in historical archives has provided ...
How many years ago was the San Francisco quad scanned?
To get an impression of the extent of development in one area compare the scanned 1950 (817K) and 1980 (850K) topo maps, of the San Francisco S quad.
Where was the San Andreas rupture?
Recent research in historical archives has provided important new insights into the 1906 rupture along the San Andreas, particularly along the San Francisco peninsula and in the Loma Prieta area.
How many people died in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake?
On April 18, 1906, an earthquake and subsequent fires devastated San Francisco, California, leaving more than 3,000 people dead and destroying more than 28,000 buildings. The quake ruptured the San Andreas fault to the north and south of the city, for a total of 296 miles, and could be felt from southern Oregon to Los Angeles ...
What was the San Francisco boomtown?
A classic Western boomtown, San Francisco had grown in a haphazard manner since the Gold Rush of 1849. Working from a nearly clean slate, San Franciscans were able to rebuild the city with a more logical and elegant structure.
What happened in 1906 San Francisco?
1906 San Francisco Earthquake: Aftermath. Despite the utter devastation, San Francisco quickly recovered from the earthquake, and the destruction actually allowed planners to create a new and improved city. A classic Western boomtown, San Francisco had grown in a haphazard manner since the Gold Rush of 1849. Working from a nearly clean slate, San ...
Who was the Italian tenor who performed in San Francisco before the 1906 earthquake?
The night before the 1906 earthquake, renowned Italian tenor Enrico Caruso performed in San Francisco. The world-famous opera singer escaped the city’s Palace Hotel, where he was staying at the time of the quake; however, the hotel itself was destroyed later that day by fire. Recommended for you.
What is the Lawson report?
As a basic reference about the earthquake and the damage it caused, geologic observations of the fault rupture and shaking effects, and other consequences of the earthquake, the Lawson (1908) report remains the authoritative work, as well as arguably the most important study of a single earthqua ke. In the public's mind, this earthquake is ...
How far is the San Andreas fault?
Rupturing the northernmost 296 miles (477 kilometers) of the San Andreas fault from northwest of San Juan Bautista to the triple junction at Cape Mendocino, the earthquake confounded contemporary geologists with its large, horizontal displacements and great rupture length.
How long did the San Francisco earthquake last?
The great earthquake broke loose some 20 to 25 seconds later, with an epicenter near San Francisco. Violent shocks punctuated the strong shaking which lasted some 45 to 60 seconds.
What was the date of the 1906 earthquake?
5:12 AM - April 18, 1906. San Francisco City Hall after the 1906 Earthquake. (from Steinbrugge Collection of the UC Berkeley Earthquake Engineering Research Center) The California earthquake of April 18, 1906 ranks as one of the most significant earthquakes of all time. Today, its importance comes more from the wealth ...
Where did the strongest shaking occur?
Areas situated in sediment-filled valleys sustained stronger shaking than nearby bedrock sites, and the strongest shaking occurred in areas where ground reclaimed from San Francisco Bay failed in the earthquake. Modern seismic-zonation practice accounts for the differences in seismic hazard posed by varying geologic conditions.
Where was the earthquake in Oregon?
The earthquake was felt from southern Oregon to south of Los Angeles and inland as far as central Nevada. The highest Modified Mercalli Intensities (MMI's) of VII to IX paralleled the length of the rupture, extending as far as 80 kilometers inland from the fault trace.
How far away was the San Andreas fault?
The earthquake ruptured the ground for 296 miles (477 kilometers) along the northernmost section of the San Andreas Fault, and the ground surfaces on either side of the rupture slipped more than 20 feet away from each other in some places. The quake set off a catastrophic fire in San Francisco that devastated the city.
What is the San Andreas fault?
The San Andreas Fault runs in a northwest-southeast line along the coast. The numbers on the fault line indicate how far the ground surface slipped at that location as a result of the 1906 earthquake. Also labeled in the image is the Hayward Fault on the eastern side of San Francisco Bay.
What happened on April 18 1906?
On the morning of April 18, 1906, the pent-up pressure was released in a major earthquake that thundered across coastal California. The earthquake ruptured the ground for 296 miles (477 ...
What is the color of the San Francisco earthquake?
This image shows the topography of the region using data from NASA’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Low elevations are green , with yellow, pink, and white representing progressively higher elevations.
Which fault is most likely to cause an earthquake?
The Hayward is one of the faults with a high likelihood of a major earthquake in coming decades. That fault runs through Oakland and Berkeley. More information: The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake from the U.S. Geological Survey.
