The 6.9 magnitude Northridge Earthquake shook the town of Northridge, California and its surrounding region at 4:31 a.m. on January 17, 1994. Fifty seven people were killed and almost nine thousand people were injured.http://www.data.scec.org/chrono_index/northreq.htmlhttp://nisee.berkeley.edu/northridge/
Northridge is a college town that is approximately twenty miles northwest of Los Angeles. The entire region between the town of Northridge and the city of Los Angeles is populated with suburbs.
The earthquake caused damage to more than 65,000 homes and businesses. It caused part of the Antelope Valley Freeway to collapse onto part of the Golden State Freeway, just south of the town of Newhall, California. It also caused part of the Santa Monica Freeway to collapse, just west of the city of Los Angeles. The earthquake also caused landslides in the surrounding mountains of Santa Susana, Santa Monica and western San Gabriel. This indirectly caused damage to roads, water lines and homes.http://www.vibrationdata.com/earthquakes/northridge.htm
The San Andreas Fault
Most of the state of California, from San Diego up to Eureka, is on permanent earthquake warning. A major earthquake-causing area called the San Andreas Fault runs through most of the state. Geologists say that this fault and other faults like it are caused by plates that move in the magma that they say is deep beneath the surface of planet Earth. Popular folklore says that this fault will someday cause part of California to fall into the Pacific Ocean, but geologists say this is a misconception.http://geology.com/articles/san-andreas-fault.shtml
L.A. Quake History
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the following are the highest magnitude earthquakes whose epicenters have been located in the Los Angeles region.U.S. Geological Survey: California Earthquake History 1769-Present
- 1994: 6.9 (Northridge)
- 1987: 5.8 (Whittier Narrows)
- 1971: 6.5 (San Fernando)
- 1941: 5.9 (Carpinteria)
- 1933: 6.3 (Long Beach)
- 1923: 6.0 (San Bernardino)
- 1858: 6.0 (San Bernardino)
- 1855: 6.0 (Los Angeles)
- 1769: 6.0 (Los Angeles)
News Reporting the Day of the Northridge Earthquake
At the time this recording was made, the death toll was only 24. The recording shows footage of water mains that broke and flooded streets and a woman shreiking because her daughter was killed when a building collapsed. There is footage also of the freeways that were damaged. There are interviews with earthquake survivors.
References
Fast Facts
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Casualties
57 people were killed. About 9000 were injured.
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Date and Time
January 17, 1994 at 4:30 AM local time
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Place
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Magnitude
6.9 on the Richter Scale
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Estimated Damage
Over $20 billion; more than 65,000 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed
