Historic Earthquakes

Santa Cruz County, California
1989 August 08 08:13:27 UTC
Magnitude 5.4

This earthquake caused one death and moderate damage to property in Santa Clara County near San Jose. Toppled and broken chimneys were reported at Cupertino (west of San Jose), Los Gatos (about 15 km northeast of the epicenter), and Redwood Estates (about 7.5 km northeast of the epicenter). Other damage observed included broken underground pipes, cracks in foundations and walls, walls separated from ceilings, and toppled water heaters and propane tanks. Light damage occurred at several other towns in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties, including Ben Lomond, Brookdale, Holy City, Santa Cruz, and Saratoga. Felt to Sonoma County in the north, San Luis Obispo County in the south, and Stanislaus County in the east.

Abridged from Seismicity of the United States, 1568-1989 (Revised), by Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1993.