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Cascadia Subduction Zone
This earthquake, the largest known to have occurred in the "lower 48" United States, rocked Cascadia, a region 600 miles long that includes northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia. The earthquake set off a tsunami that not only struck Cascadia's Pacific coast, but also crossed the Pacific Ocean to Japan, where it damaged coastal villages. Written records of the damage in Japan pinpoint the earthquake to the evening of January 26, 1700. -
Northeast Arkansas
A large event felt on the East Coast that is sometimes regarded as the fourth principal earthquake of the 1811-1812 sequence. The event is described as "severe" at New Bourbon, Missouri, and was described by boatman John Bradbury, who was moored to a small island south of New Madrid, as "terrible, but not equal to the first". Hough believes that this large aftershock occurred around dawn in the New Madrid region near the surface projection of the Reelfoot fault. -
New Madrid, Missouri
The second principal shock of the 1811-1812 sequence. It is difficult to assign intensities to the principal shocks that occurred after 1811 because many of the published accounts describe the cumulative effects of all the earthquakes and because the Ohio River was iced over, so there was little river traffic and fewer human observers. Using the December 16 earthquake as a standard, however, there is a general consensus that this earthquake was the smallest of the three principals. The meizoseis -
New Madrid, Missouri
The third principal earthquake of the 1811-1812 series. Several destructive shocks occurred on February 7, the last of which equaled or surpassed the magnitude of any previous event. The town of New Madrid was destroyed. At St. Louis, many houses were damaged severely and their chimneys were thrown down. The meizoseismal area was characterized by general ground warping, ejections, fissuring, severe landslides, and caving of stream banks. -
Fort Tejon, California
This earthquake occurred on the San Andreas fault, which ruptured from near Parkfield (in the Cholame Valley) almost to Wrightwood (a distance of about 300 kilometers); horizontal displacement of as much as 9 meters was observed on the Carrizo Plain. It caused one fatality. A comparison of this shock to the San Francisco earthquake, which occurred on the San Andreas fault on April 18, 1906, shows that the fault break in 1906 was longer but that the maximum and average displacements in 1857 were -
Ka'u District, Island of Hawaii
This major earthquake caused 77 deaths (tsunami, 46; landslide, 31). It knocked almost all wooden houses off their foundations in the Keiawa, Punaluu, and Ninole areas. In those areas, straw houses supported by posts in the ground reportedly were "torn to shreds." At Kau, the more substantial houses and every stone wall were thrown down. At Waiohinu, a large stone church collapsed within 10 seconds of the onset of shaking. The shock "ruined" the few stone buildings in Hilo and shook down almost -
Owens Valley, California
The most devastating effects of this earthquake occurred at Lone Pine, where 52 of 59 houses (mostly constructed of adobe or stone) were destroyed and 27 people were killed. A few fatalities also were reported in other parts of Owens Valley. One report states that the main buildings were thrown down in almost every town in Inyo County. About 100 kilometers south of Lone Pine, at Indian Wells, adobe houses sustained cracks. Property loss has been estimated at $250,000. -
Imperial Valley, California
About 155 tremors were felt at Campo during the 12 hours following the main shock, and aftershocks continued there every few days into April 1892. Observers reported that 135 aftershocks were felt as far away as National City, on San Diego Bay. Felt north along the coast to Santa Barbara, east to Yuma, Arizona, and south to San Quintin, Baja California. One report stated that the tremor was felt at Visalia, Tulare County, about 700 kilometers north of San Quintin. -
Cape Yakataga, Alaska
During September, the Yakutat Bay region was shaken by a series of severe earthquakes. The first earthquake at 00:22 UTC was moderately strong at Yakutat but was extremely violent at Cape Yakataga, about 160 kilometers west. The shock broke off the tops of trees, generated landslides, and raised the ocean beach about 1 meter. Although no loss of life or property occurred in the region, reported effects include uplift of the coast, landslides, difficulty in standing upright, water waves on the ba -
Yakutat Bay, Alaska
The first earthquake on September 10 lasted 90 seconds and was heavier at Yakutat than that of September 4 (00:22 UTC). It was strong enough to throw people off their feet at Disenchantment Bay. The main earthquake on September 10 was felt over a largely unsettled region, and so the total felt area in unknown. Prospectors camped on Disenchantment Bay felt over 50 shocks on September 10, two of which were strong. Residents at Yakutat village also described as severe two of the many shocks observe -
San Francisco, California
The earthquake damaged buildings and structures in all parts of the city and county of San Francisco, although over much of the area, the damage was moderate in amount and character. Most chimneys toppled or were badly broken. In the business district, which was built on ground made by filling in the cove of Yerba Buena, pavements were buckled, arched, and fissured; brick and frame houses of ordinary construction were damaged extensively or destroyed; sewers and water mains were broken; and stre -
Shumagin Islands, Alaska
A major submarine earthquake, centered in a sparsely populated area, was felt stringly at False Pass, Unimak Island. It also was reported at Port Moller and Anchorage. The earthquake generated a small tsunami, which was recorded at Dutch harbor, Seward, and Sitka, Alaska, and at Hilo and Honolulu, Hawaii. -
Unimak Island
This major earthquake caused only minor damage to buildings on Unimak Island, but it generated a tsunami that devasted the lighthouse and swept away its five occupants. The height of the wave at the lighthouse was estimated at about 35 meters. Tsunami damage also occurred at Dutch Harbor and Ikatan Island in the Aleutian Islands, on the west coasts of North and South America, and in Hawaii. At Hilo, Hawaii, the tsunami took 159 lives and caused $26 million loss to property. The tsunami caused on -
Andreanof Islands, Alaska
This great earthquake destroyed two bridges on Adak Island, damaged houses, and left a 4.5 meter crack in a road. On Umnak Island, part of a dock was destroyed, and Mount Vsevidof erupted after being dormant for 200 years. Further, this shock generated a 15 meter tsunami that smashed into the coastline at Scotch Cap and an 8 meter tsumani that washed away many buildings and damaged oil lines extensively at Sand Bay. This tsunami continued to Hawaii, where is destroyed two villages and inflicted -
Chile
Approximately 1,655 killed, 3,000 injured, 2,000,000 homeless, and $550 million damage in southern Chile; tsunami caused 61 deaths, $75 million damage in Hawaii; 138 deaths and $50 million damage in Japan; 32 dead and missing in the Philippines; and $500,000 damage to the west coast of the United States. -
Prince William Sound, Alaska
Anchorage, about 120 kilometers northwest of the epicenter, sustained the most severe damage to property. About 30 blocks of dwellings and commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed in the downtown area. The J.C. Penny Company building was damaged beyond repair; the Four Seasons apartment building, a new six-story structure, collapsed; and many other multistory buildings were damaged heavily. The schools in Anchorage were almost devastated. The Government Hill Grade School, sitting astride a -
Prince William Sound, Alaska
this shock generated a tsunami that devastated many towns along the Gulf of Alaska, and left serious damage at Alberni and Port Alberni, Canada, along the West Coast of the United States (15 killed), and in Hawaii. The maximum wave height recorded was 67 meters at Valdez Inlet. Seiche action in rivers, lakes, bayous, and protected harbors and waterways along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas caused minor damage. It was also recorded on tide gages in Cuba and Puerto Rico. -
Rat Islands, Alaska
On Adak Island, cracks occurred in prefabricated wood buildings; on Shemya Island, cracks were observed in an asphalt runway. Hairline cracks also formed in the runways at the U.S. Coast Guard Loran Station on Attu Island. This earthquake generated a tsunami reported to be about 10.7 meters high on Shemya Island. Loss caused by flooding on Amchitka Island was estimated at about $10,000. An aftershock at 07:40 UTC was assigned MMI VI. -
Andreanof Islands, Alaska
This earthquake caused moderate damage to structures on Adak Island and slight damage on Atka Island. Damage to buildings on Adak Island consisted of cracked masonry and concrete walls, failure of partitions and suspended ceilings, spalling on concrete beams and piers, and differential settlement of house foundations. Soil liquefaction was observed in localized areas of backfilled soil, and sand blows were observed. Laterally spreading cracks and differential ground settlement occurred along a s -
Gulf of Alaska
Damage at Yakutat, northwest of Juneau, consisted mainly of broken glassware and cracks in plaster, drywall, windows, and a foundation. Light damage occurred at several other towns. Also, cracks in wet ground were reported at Yakutat. Strong building vibrations made it difficult to stand or walk. Two ships in the epicentral area were damaged, and three others in the area felt the shaking strongly. A small tsunami was recorded at Seward, Sitka, and Yakutat. This earthquake had the largest magnitu
