5 Largest California Earthquakes

Why are there so many earthquakes in California? This is due to being located between two of earths tectonic plates. These plates are constantly shifting and causing friction that results in earthquakes. There have been thousands of recorded earthquakes in California for many years. Most of these earthquakes don't do any damage and are hardly felt. Then there are some like the five listed below that leave a trail of terror where they occur.

On 01/09/1857 in Fort Tejon, California an earthquake occurred with a 7.9 magnitude. This earthquake occurred on the infamous San Andreas fault line. It ruptured a distance of about 300 km. The strong shaking from this earthquake lasted from 1-3 minutes. It caused one death in the town of Gorman.

On 04/18/1906 in San Francisco, California, with a magnitude 7.8, was one of the worst earthquake in California history. This one also occurred on the San Andreas fault. The earthquake killed over 3,000 people and caused $524 million in property loss. The damage in San Francisco alone was over $20 million. Due to broken pipelines, water was shut off to the entire city. Many fires soon broke out throughout the city and caused major devastation as there was no water to put them out. This earthquake caused the lengthiest rupture of a fault in U.S. history. People as far as western Nevada and southern Oregon could feel the tremor.

On 02/24/1892 in Imperial Valley, California with a magnitude of 7.8, the third largest earthquake in California history occurred. This earthquake did quite a bit of damage, but caused no casualties. It destroyed many homes and cause rockslides. About 155 aftershocks were felt in the 12 hours following this quake.

On 03/26/1872 in Owens Valley, California the 4^th worst earthquake occurred with a magnitude of 7.4. The worst of this earthquake was felt in Lone Pine, where almost all of the 59 houses were destroyed and 27 people were killed. There were other fatalities in other parts of the valley. Property loss was estimated at $250,000. The shock from this earthquake was felt over most of California and Nevada. There were thousands of aftershocks, some of which were severe.

On 07/21/1952 in Kern County, California, was the 5^th worst earthquake in California history. This quake had a magnitude of 7.3. This was the largest earthquake in the United States since the one in 1906 in San Francisco. This earthquake took the lives of 12 people and caused an astounding $60 million in damages. It cracked reinforced tunnels with 46 cm thick concrete and wrinkled roads. It made on large crack 1.5 meters at it widest point and 60 cm deep. The main shock was felt over most of California and in parts of western Arizona and western Nevada. 188 aftershocks were recorded with magnitudes of 4.0 and higher.

California will continue to always have earthquakes and "the Big One" is expected at some point when it is thought that part of California will crack off into the ocean. Only time will tell!