Also known as the Sylmar earthquake, the 1971 San Fernando quake struck at 6am on the 9th of February with a force of 6.5 on the Richter scale.Damage was most severe in the northern San Fernando Valley. Surface faulting was extensive in the mountains, south of the epicentre as well as in urban areas along city streets and neighbourhoods and uplift also affected private homes and businesses. But the most devastating damage as far as loss of lives is concerned took place at The Veterans hospital which comprised of 45 individual buildings. 26 of the buildings were built before 1933 and weren't built according to regulation which guarded against seismic activity. These suffered the most damage, with four of the buildings collapsing completely.Most of the damage was caused by the severe shaking and not by seismic lift. This is where most lives were lost, with approximately 44 of the total 65 deaths that occurred as a result of the earthquake. Most of the reinforced concrete buildings constructed after 1933 withstood the shaking, but in 1972 a resolution was passed and the remainder of the buildings were abandoned, then later demolished, and the site turned …show more content…
Transportation was severely affected in the Los Angeles area with roadway failures and the partial collapse of several major freeway interchanges. Thousands of school buildings in the Los Angeles area were also affected by the quake, although damage was less severe as a result of amended construction styles, prompted by previous quakes in the vicinity. Hundreds of various types of landslides were also documented in the San Gabriel mountains as a result of the quake. Natural gas was also witnessed escaping from the ocean surface due to fresh cracks in the ocean floor.There was also substantial damage to approximately 10 miles of freeway in the San Fernando Valley
When one of the worst earthquakes ever hits the town of San Francisco panic ensues, but not for everyone. On April 18, 1906, at 5:15 am the city of San Francisco was demolished by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake which also led to many fires being started. There was $350m in estimated damages, and 400-750 people perished in the earthquake and fire. Around 490 city blocks were destroyed, causing 250,000 people to become homeless (A Brief Account, SF Tourism Tips). In the aftermath of the earthquake there were many eyewitness accounts written about it. The eyewitness account, “Comprehending the Calamity,” by Emma Burke and the eyewitness account,"Horrific Wreck of the City" by Fred Hewitt both describe the same event, but they both have very different
In 1910 a series of fifty-two earthquakes struck Arizona between September 10th-23rd and it caused much of the Flagstaff residents to flee the area as even strong households cracked and chimneys crumbled. The fifty-two earthquakes were all light-shock earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0-4.2 that came right after another. If only one earthquake occurred in that timespan then it is likely that only objects would be knocked from shelves but no damage would be done to infrastructure, but the earthquakes happened right after another causing significant slight
Earthquakes are best described as a shaking or vibration of the ground caused by breaking of rock. Sometimes they are very strong and other times you would hardly notice them. This shaking occurs when stress that builds up in the crust is suddenly released as the crust breaks free and/or slides against the other pieces of crust. Earthquakes may also be thought of as the breaking of a popsicle stick by applying pressure to both ends at the same time. Should you try this experiment , you will feel the pressure build up as you apply more force until the stick snaps. When the stick snaps you will feel an instant of pain at your fingers as the stress reduces and energy waves move throughout the stick. When the earth's crust is placed under similar types of stress, binding as the stress builds, it will also snap and release the energy into the surrounding rocks, 'ooch'. Thinking about earthquakes will become more clear if you try another experiment.
Imagine if a 9.0 earthquake struck the West Coast today, resulting in a giant tsunami. Coastal towns would be washed away or completely isolated, and electricity would be lost (FOX5). There would be $70 billion in damage and people would only have 15 minutest to evacuate or move to higher ground resulting in 10,000 deaths (FOX5). This sounds like a plot for a scary movie, but this is actually a reality. The Oregon Coast in located on a subduction zone, which makes it very susceptible to major earthquakes and tsunamis. With the Cascadia subduction zone running along he West Coast the threat of a major tsunami is very real.
The Whittier earthquake was not the "big one" that Angelenos perpetually wait for. This may be hard to comprehend given the extensive damage caused by the earthquake. Although classified as "moderate," the quake left more than 100 injured and six dead, including an electrical repairman buried in an underground tunnel, a college student struck by falling concrete in a campus garage, and three people who died of heart attacks brought on by the shock.
On the night of April 18, 1906, the whole town was woken by erratic shaking. Although the earthquake lasted under a measly minute, it caused significant damage. Many fires started all throughout the city; San Francisco burned in turmoil.
The San Francisco Earthquake commenced at five thirteen o’clock in the morning, with the epicenter offshore of San Francisco. The city carried more than 400,000 people during this event (Earthquake of 1906, 1). Most of the
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.
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...
October 17, 1989. Damage for this San Francisco Bay Area quake are close to 4 billion. The
The Impact of the earthquake the casualties were 5000-45000 people injured or killed. The earthquake produced mini tsunamis that although not too big still damaged the mexico. The earthquake affected many secondary and tertiary hospitals; Thirteen hospitals were partially destroyed or completely destroyed. The event caused about 3 to 4 billion US dollars of damaged. 137 schools collapsed and 1687 school buildings were damaged because of the earthquake.
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a one of the most devastating natural disasters that United States had ever seen at the time. Although the earthquake lasted under a measly minute, it caused significant damage and began various fires. Having started on April 16 at around five in the morning, with an approximate magnitude of 8.3, the earthquake caused an abundant amount of casualties as well as an outburst of fires that demolished countless homes and buildings. Moreover, after taking the lives of more than 3,000 people as well as the homes of 225,000 residents, many families were left homeless and permanently scarred by this disaster. Additionally, the economic impact of this earthquake, in today’s standards, caused an estimated 10.5 billion dollars worth of damage solely from the disaster and its subsequent fires.
While the early warning saved thousands of people, the Japan’s Meteorological Agency underestimated this earthquake as the subduction zone of Japan should not produce the magnitude 9.0 quake (Oskin, 2013a). The Tohoku Earthquake and its tsunami approximately killed 16 thousand people, injured 6 thousand people and around 3 thousand people were missing. Most people died from drowning. Around 300 thousand buildings, 4000 roads, 78 bridges, and many more were affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and fires from leaking oils and gas. Electricity, telecommunication, and railways were severely damaged. The debris of 25 million tons was generated and carried out to the sea by water (BBC News, 2012). The country’s authorities estimated more than 309 billion US dollars of damages. Landslides occurred in Miyagi and liquefaction in Chiba, Tokyo, Odaiba, and Urayasu (USGS, 2013). Furthermore, the tsunami destroyed protective tsunami seawalls. Approximately 217 square miles of Japan covered in water (Oskin,
It was a beautiful day like any other with the clear blue sky and the
Earthquakes belong to the class of most disastrous natural hazards. They result in unexpected and tremendous earth movements. These movements results from dissemination of an enormous amount of intense energy in form of seismic waves which are detected by use of seismograms. The impact of earthquakes leaves behind several landmarks including: destruction of property, extensive disruption of services like sewer and water lines, loss of life, and causes instability in both economic and social components of the affected nation (Webcache 2).