How many people died in the San Francisco earthquake in 1989?
On October 17, 1989, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area, killing 67 people and causing more than $5 billion in damages. Despite the fact that the disaster was one of the most...
What was the damage in the 1989 San Francisco earthquake?
The earthquake killed 62 people and injured approximately 3,700. It caused an estimated $7.4 billion in direct damage and about $2.6 billion in uninsured property damage and in secondary economic impacts. Did the 1989 San Francisco earthquake cause a tsunami?
How deep underground was the San Francisco earthquake of 1989?
1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on October 18, 1989 at 00:04 UTC in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Central California. Date: October 18, 1989 at 00:04 UTC (October 17, 1989 at 05:04 PM local time) Location: 37.040 -121.877. Depth: 16.79 km.
Why did the 1989 San Francisco earthquake happen?
What caused the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco? On October 17, 1989, the central coast of California was jolted by the Loma Prieta earthquake. The Loma Prieta earthquake was triggered by the mighty San Andreas Fault, where the North American tectonic plate strikes northward while the massive Pacific plate slips southward.
What fault caused the 1989 San Francisco earthquake?
the San Andreas faultThe epicenter was on the San Andreas fault roughly 56 miles south of San Francisco and 10 miles northeast of Santa Cruz, near Mt. Loma Prieta in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
What fault caused the San Francisco earthquake of 1906?
the San Andreas FaultRupture Length and Slip The 1906 earthquake ruptured the northernmost 296 miles (477 km) of the San Andreas Fault between San Juan Bautista and Cape Mendocino.
Why did the Bay Bridge collapse in 1989?
Oakland's revitalization was dealt a setback on October 17, 1989, when a strong earthquake caused significant damage to the Bay Bridge and caused a section of a major highway along the bay (a portion of it double-decked) to collapse; repairs on these were completed by the late 1990s.
What caused the destruction of San Francisco?
On the morning of April 18, 1906, a massive earthquake shook San Francisco, California. Though the quake lasted less than a minute, its immediate impact was disastrous. The earthquake also ignited several fires around the city that burned for three days and destroyed nearly 500 city blocks.
Why does the San Andreas Fault cause earthquakes?
Tremors along a notorious segment of California's San Andreas Fault appear to be driven by thermal instability caused by frictional shear happening much deeper in the Earth than scientists thought, according to new University of Southern California research that helps explain how quakes happen.
Is San Francisco on the San Andreas Fault?
San Diego, Los Angeles and Big Sur are on the Pacific Plate. San Francisco, Sacramento and the Sierra Nevada are on the North American Plate. And despite San Francisco's legendary 1906 earthquake, the San Andreas Fault does not go through the city.
Did the 1989 San Francisco earthquake cause a tsunami?
Abstract. We investigated the tsunami recorded at Monterey, California, during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (MW=6.9). The first arrival of the tsunami was about 10 min after the origin time of the earthquake.
How long did the 1989 earthquake last?
approximately 15 secondsIts epicentre was in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, near Loma Prieta peak in the Santa Cruz mountains, northeast of Santa Cruz and approximately 60 miles (100 km) south of San Francisco. It struck just after 5:00 pm local time and lasted approximately 15 seconds, with a moment magnitude of 6.9.
Was the San Francisco earthquake 1989 predicted?
Scientists at the United States Geological Survey in Menlo Park had predicted a moderate quake in the Santa Cruz area sometime in the next 30 years. But the predicted quake was nothing like the one that occurred on Oct. 17, 1989, centered at Loma Prieta in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
How many times did San Francisco burn down?
Between 1849 and 1851, San Francisco was almost entirely destroyed by fire seven times. And each time people rebuilt, they tried more and more high-tech methods to prevent future damage.
What was the worst earthquake in California?
California's Largest Recorded Earthquakes Since 1800, Ranked by MagnitudeMagnitudeDateLocation7.9Jan. 9, 1857Fort Tejon7.8April 18, 1906San Francisco7.4Mar. 26, 1872Owens Valley7.4Nov. 8, 1980W. of Eureka*12 more rows
When was the San Francisco earthquake?
( A Britannica Publishing Partner) See all videos for this article. San Francisco earthquake of 1989, also called Loma Prieta earthquake, major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area, California, U.S., on October 17, 1989, and caused 63 deaths, ...
Where was the 1989 World Series earthquake?
Remarkably, the earthquake struck just before the start of the third game of the 1989 World Series, which was to be played in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park between the two Bay Area baseball teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics. The disaster’s occurrence during a major live television broadcast meant that news ...
What did the Loma Prieta earthquake teach us?
Listen to what the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 taught about seismology, early warning system, earthquake preparedness and the role of the Berkeley seismology lab. A discussion of the lessons learned from the Loma Prieta (San Francisco–Oakland) earthquake of 1989. Displayed by permission of The Regents of the University of California.
How many people died in the 1989 earthquake?
The quake struck with a moment magnitude of 6.9 on October 17, just before the start of the third game of the World Series, which was being held at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. Sixty-three people died, and nearly 3,800 were injured.
What happened to Santa Cruz in 1989?
Damaged buildings in Santa Cruz, California, following the San Francisco-Oakland earthquake of 1989. C.E. Meyer/U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake significantly damaged the transportation system of the Bay Area. The collapse of the Cypress Street Viaduct (Nimitz Freeway) caused most of the earthquake-related deaths.
What district in San Francisco was hardest hit by the earthquake?
San Francisco’s Marina district was particularly hard hit because it had been built on filled land (comprising loose, sandy soil), and the unreinforced masonry buildings in Santa Cruz (many of which were 50 to 100 years old) failed completely. San Francisco-Oakland earthquake of 1989. Damaged buildings in Santa Cruz, California, ...
Why was the San Francisco Giants baseball championship suspended?
The baseball championship between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics was suspended for 10 days, because both cities suffered significant damage. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The earthquake was triggered by a slip along the San Andreas Fault. Its epicentre was in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, ...
How long did the San Andreas earthquake last?
Caused by a slip along the San Andreas Fault, the quake lasted 10–15 seconds and measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, or 6.9 on the open-ended Richter Scale. The quake killed 63 people throughout northern California, injured 3,757 and left some 3,000-12,000 people homeless.
When was the Loma Prieta earthquake?
See the NIST report, " Performance of Structures During the Loma Prieta Earthquake of October 17, 1989 ," for more information.
What year was the Loma Prieta earthquake?
The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Revisiting the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake serves as an important reminder to all residents of California that the geologic processes responsible for creating the beautiful natural landscape we enjoy can sometimes occur suddenly and violently so it’s important to be prepared. The anniversary of the Loma Prieta ...
Where was the magnitude of the Loma Prieta earthquake?
Magnitude established at 6.9 after consultation with monitoring stations around the world. The Loma Prieta quake was felt as far away as San Diego and western Nevada.
What is the magnitude of an earthquake?
Magnitude is a measure of an earthquake's size, but rather than being a direct measure of the level of ground shaking, it is a measurement of the strength of the seismic sound waves given off by the earthquake. A magnitude 8 earthquake radiates 30 times more energy of a magnitude 7 and 900 times the energy of a magnitude 6. Strong ground shaking for a magnitude 7 quake typically lasts about 15 seconds. It lasts a minute in a magnitude 8.
How long does a magnitude 8 earthquake last?
Strong ground shaking for a magnitude 7 quake typically lasts about 15 seconds. It lasts a minute in a magnitude 8.
What was the most significant damage to the Bay Bridge?
The most notable damage included the collapse of the elevated Cypress Structure section of Interstate 880 in Oakland, the collapse of a section of roadbed on the Bay Bridge, and extensive damage to downtown Santa Cruz and San Francisco's Marina District. The Bay Bridge was unusable for a month.
What is the boundary between the North American plate and the Pacific plate?
The San Andreas Fault is the boundary between the North American plate and the Pacific plate. Land west of the fault has been moving to the northwest relative to land on the east at an average rate of 2 inches per year for millions of year. This motion typically occurs in sudden jumps during large earthquakes.
