A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near Northern California, triggering a tsunami warning for affected areas. Although this would be considered one of the strongest earthquakes in the country, it’s not even in the top 10 in the Golden State.
The total damage won’t be known for some time, but so far little to no damage has been reported, and no deaths or injuries have been caused by the quake.
California is famously located on the San Andreas Fault System, a major fault line that has caused some of the largest earthquakes in U.S. history. Only Alaska matches — or in many cases exceeds — the frequency and strength of the earthquakes that hit California.
Underwood Archives/Getty Images
The strongest earthquake in California occurred in 1857 with a magnitude of 7.9, and the second strongest – but perhaps most famous – earthquake occurred in 1906, according to the California Department of Conservation.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake in San Francisco caused a major fire and killed up to 3,000 people. It was named “The Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.” It lasted about a minute and was felt from southern Oregon to just south of Los Angeles, well inland to central Nevada, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Bettmann / Contributor
Initial reports recorded between 500 and 800 deaths, but an extensive list of damage and deaths towards the end of the 20th century found the total to be around three to four times higher. The quake also displaced around 225,000 people, creating a homelessness crisis.
According to Earthquake Safety, of the 14 earthquakes recorded and measured near San Francisco, only three others in recent geologic history occurred at magnitude 7 or greater: magnitude 7 in 1838, magnitude 7 in 1868, and magnitude 7 .1 in 1989, according to Earthquake Safety, Inc.
Weber/AFP via Getty Images
All but two of the other earthquakes were in the magnitude 6 range, the strongest of which occurred in 1836 and reached a magnitude of 6.8.
Before Thursday’s earthquake, the two most recent earthquakes to hit the Bay Area were a 2001 earthquake along the West Napa Fault with a magnitude of 5.1 and a 2005 earthquake along the Calaveras Fault with a magnitude of 5.1 of 5.6.
Chris Wilkins/AFP via Getty Images
How severe is a magnitude 7.0 earthquake?
California has recorded 11 earthquakes above 7.0, all but one of which occurred in the 20th century. This makes Thursday’s earthquake the third strongest earthquake to hit the state in the 21st century.
The second strongest quakes occurred in Owens Valley in 1872 and nearby Eureka in 1980, each with a magnitude of 7.4. The Owens Valley quake killed 27 people and caused three aftershocks, all above magnitude 6.
AP Photo/Eric Risberg
The strongest recent earthquake occurred in Ridgecrest in 2019 with a magnitude of 7.1, following an already strong 6.4 quake, although neither quake killed anyone. An earthquake in Baja California in 2010 had a magnitude of 7.2 and occurred on Easter Sunday of that year.
The Baja earthquake killed two people, injured at least 100 people and caused $440 million in damages in the Mexicali Valley and $90 million in California’s Imperial Valley, according to the Orange County Register.
AP Photo/Ben Margo
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake that struck Landers, San Bernardino County in 1992 killed one person, injured 400 others and caused $9.1 million in damage.
The last magnitude 7.0 earthquake to hit California occurred near El Centro in 1940, killing nine people and causing around $6 million in damage.
