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In the early twentieth century, San Francisco, a bustling city full of people with diverse cultures, stood in the midst of the Second Industrial Revolution. At this time, the brilliant inventions of airplanes, automobiles, and radios were changing the everyday lives of many. San Francisco had just recovered from the four-year burden of the bubonic plague (“Bubonic”). However, right when things were getting back to normal, a destructive earthquake hit the city on April 18, 1906. Although the shaking lasted for less than a minute, the devastated city had crumbled buildings and a substantial loss of lives. The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 had a lasting effect on the city and its people, and it proved to be one of the most catastrophic disasters in history. The science of the natural disaster has baffled many, but from studying the San Francisco earthquake, scientists have made a number of important discoveries and they have a better understanding of earthquakes. At 5:12 on a fateful April morning in 1906, the mammoth Pacific and North American plates sheared at an incredible twenty-one feet along the San Andreas fault, surpassing the annual average of two inches (“San Francisco Earthquake of 1906”)(“The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fires”). The shearing caused a loud rumble in the Californian city of San Francisco. A few seconds later, the destructive earthquake occurred. The ground shifted at almost five feet per second, and the shaking could be felt all the way from southern Oregon to southern Los Angeles to central Nevada (“Quick”)(“The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake”). Moreover, the earthquake could be recorded on a seismograph in Capetown, South Africa, an astounding 10,236 miles away from San Francisco (“San Francisco ea... ... middle of paper ... ...re situations, from a razed city to devastated citizens. The calamity caused the city to crumble and the government to pay extreme amounts of money. In addition, residents of San Francisco and other surrounding areas suffered the consequences. Thousands died, but even more faced the encumbrance of homelessness. The earthquake caused fires that went on for as long as three days. Nevertheless, San Francisco transformed its ashes into a beautiful city full of fascinating buildings in a matter of weeks. 1906, a year of a significant natural disaster, also became a year that spawned knowledge in the field of seismology. No one will ever forget the appalling chain of events that occurred during the early twentieth century. The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 has not only educated scientists, but it has also made San Francisco the jewel of the West Coast that it is today.
Earthquakes in California are certainly not a surprise. What is a surprise is their unpredictability and randomness. Geologists say there is roughly a 50 percent chance that a magnitude 8 or more quake will hit the Los Angeles area sometime over the next 30 years. And, over the past twenty years, the Los Angeles area has witnessed several earthquakes, and in particular, two that were quite devastating; the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, and the January 17, 1994, Northridge Earthquake. Given the certainty that earthquakes will occur, they still seem to come as a surprise, and leave many communities unprepared to deal with their aftermath.
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was one of the largest earthquakes in the United States. Even though it only lasted less than a minute, the damages and aftermath of the earthquake were disastrous. These damages were not just from the earthquake, but also from other hazards that occurred because of it. It also had a huge effect on the people living in San Francisco. Many people, the government, and other countries helped the city of San Francisco with relief goods like food and clothing. The city used up their resources in order to rebuild the city and spent a lot of money. This earthquake also started a scientific revolution about earthquakes and its effects.
We have seen a constant change of our environment afflicted by the human, nature and nurture influence, creating and reinventing what we know of a culture, city and society. San Francisco, a city of multi-diverse neighborhoods of highly trending culture, commerce, fashion and finance, has been immensely affected by it; seeing a consistent development before and after the 1906 earthquake which destroyed over 80% of San Francisco. The earthquake and the subsequent fires, one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States, took from the people of the Bay Area their houses and families, leaving roughly 3000 deaths and at least 270,000 people homeless. Nonetheless, this mayor disaster also gave the opportunity for a rebuild
The San Francisco earthquake that took place in 1906 is fairly well-known because of its damage and intensity that would affect many lives. The online exhibit of The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire shows how much was lost during this natural disaster, and how the city was before. Many would wonder what is the purpose of documenting how it was before, and after the earthquake, but the fact that no one was expecting one so big impacted countless lives. Also, at the time San Francisco was becoming the most popular city, therefore it would appear in the headlines how a well-known place that most people loved would become damaged (The Bancroft Library, 2006). Overall, this virtual field trip shows the cause and effect of the earthquake that would change San Francisco in numerous ways.
U.S. Geological Survey. "The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake." The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. United States Geological Survey, 18 July 2012. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
Before examining the Northridge event, understanding the naturally occurring hazard that is an earthquake will help to better understand exactly what happened and why it was such an important geological event. With four distinct layers, two layers, the crust and upper portion of the mantle, compose the skin that is the surface layer of the Earth. The crust is not a single, continuous piece. It is actually several different pieces, or plates, that come together to form the puzzle that comprises the surface of the Earth. These plates are in constant motion rubbing against one another. These areas, known as fault lines, where the plates rub up against one another have spots where one plate ”gets stuck while the rest of the plate keeps moving. When the plate has moved far enough, the edges unstick and is how most of the earthquakes around the world occur” (Wald, 2012). The energy stored from the friction of the two plate...
study of the San Andreas fault system." (USGS) When the 1906 earthquake struck scientist set
Both Twain and London explain two dreadful San Francisco earthquakes that took place in 1865 and 1906. However, they target different aspects of the destruction the earthquakes caused. As Twain’s focus’ on the destruction of the people during the 1865 earthquake, London focus’ on the destruction of the city in the 1906 earthquake.
The New Madrid Fault is hidden under 100-200ft thick layers of river deposits. Traces of the fault in the layers erode quickly and are often covered by new deposits, making it very hard to study the fault. Therefore, most of the knowledge we have of the New Madrid Fault comes from seismograph recordings of the frequent and small earthquakes. However, it is still debated as to when the next major earthquake will happen in the area. According to statistical analysis done by paleoseismologists, the possibility of having an earthquake of 7.5-8.0 on the Richter scale is roughly
The 1989 San Francisco earthquake was one of the most gruesome earthquakes in U.S. history. The earthquake caused massive damage to California and people’s spirit. It is a tragedy that so many people's lives were affected in so little time. The quake left many homeless and even dead, and the quake was a terrible day and will never be
There was a massive earthquake in San Francisco during the year of 1906. The country of United States went through great loss because of this massacre. Nearly 250,000 people had become homeless as the result of this great earthquake. Winchester pointed out the question: How unprepared was America when this disaster hit? He compared the San Francisco earthquake to the Katrina hurricane in 2005.
BCC reports on the massive earthquake that occurred in Chile yesterday. It was an 8.3- magnitude earthquake that killed at least ten people. The earthquake hit the town of Coquimbo in Chile and causes tsunami waves of 15 feet to hit the coast of the city. The Chilean coast was put on a tsunami warning immediately following the earthquake but the warning was lifted at 6:22 am local time. Jane Chambers- a journalist who was 80 miles away from Coquimbo during this tragedy- recalls her house shaking for over three minutes while the earthquake struck. Luckily, her house and the houses around hers had been built to endure the force of an earthquake and did not fall, but many of the building in Coquimbo were destroyed.
In the story “Comprehending the calamity” and “Horrific wreck of the city” both explain how the earthquake destroyed the town. In “Comprehending the calamity” it says “The shock came, and hurled my bed against an opposite wall. I sprang up, and, holding firmly to the foot-board managed to keep on my feet to the door. The shock was constantly growing heavier; rumbles, crackling noises, and falling objects.”In “Horrific wreck of the city” it said “For an hour more after that terrible shock, which shook the buildings of all San Francisco to the very foundations, people wandered about in an insane fashion. There was no attempt to hold the sufferers. People were stupefied as the inferno raged and reigned supreme.”This text proves that they were describing what was happening to the town because it was talking about
As the city was growing the people constructing it were not thinking about the natural disasters that were common on the West Coast like earthquakes, landslides, or wildfires. Because of this most of the city was constructed of wooden materials on unstable and man-made lands. Many working class citizens and immigrants were crammed together living in these wooden constructed buildings on unstable soil. In Joanna Dyl’s book, Seismic City, she discusses how these working class citizens and immigrants were affected the
The Great Kanto Earthquake of Japan in 1923 was a complete shock to the nation. The destruction brought to Japan because of it affected 60% of Tokyo’s population. It is known to be the most destructive earthquake in Japanese history. Over 140,000 lives were affected in all. It wasn’t the earthquake itself that caused so much destruction, but the disasters that occurred after. As a result of the earthquake, multiple fires, a tornado, a typhoon, and a tsunami broke out and destroyed Tokyo, Yokohama, and all of its surrounding areas.