Significant Earthquakes of the World
1986 - June, 1989
SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1986 - June, 1989
Earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or greater or ones that caused fatalities, injuries or substantial damage.
DATE ORIGIN TIME GEOGRAPHIC DEPTH MAGNITUDES SD NO. REGION, CONTRIBUTED MAGNITUDES AND COMMENTS
UTC COORDINATES GS STA
HR MN SEC LAT LONG MB Msz USED
1986
JAN 31 16 46 43.3& 41.650 N 81.162 W 10 5.0 124 OHIO. (SPEC). Seventeen people treated for minor
injuries and some damage (VI) sustained in the
Painesville-Mentor area. Minor damage also occurred at Bainbridge, Bowling Green, Chardon, Geneva, Huntsburg,
Kirtland, Leroy, Madison, Metals Park, Middlefield, Perry, Perry Nuclear Plant, Thompson, Warren and Willoughby.
Minor damage in Pennsylvania at Albion and Linesville. Felt throughout most of Ohio and parts of Illinois, Indiana,
Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ontario, Canada. Some additional states with only a
few felt reports included Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
MAR 12 16 32 56.0& 47.470 N 115.800 W 1 1 MONTANA. (SPEC). ML 2.0 (NEIS). Rockburst in the Lucky
Friday mine near Mullan, Idaho. One person killed and
two injured.
MAR 31 11 55 40.0& 37.483 N 121.690 W 8 5.5 5.5 196 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. (BRK). ML 5.7 (BRK). Mo=2.6*10**24
(BRK). Six people were treated for minor injuries.
Slight damage (VI) in the Fremont area and power outages in parts of Fremont and San Jose. Felt (V) at many cities
in the southern San Francisco Bay area including Alameda, Cupertino, Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto,
Pleasanton, Redwood City, San Jose, San Leandro, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Union City. Felt throughout much of
central California from Santa Rosa to San Luis Obispo and east to Yosemite National Park.
MAY 07 22 47 10.8 51.520 N 174.776 W 33 N 6.4 7.7 1.1 513 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS. Ms 7.9 (BRK), 7.8
(PAS). Multiple event. Damage (VI) on Adak and Atka.
Tsunami generated with observed wave heights 91 to 122 cm at Kapaa, Kauai and 61 to 91 cm at Hanalei, Kauai and
along the coast of Washington. Maximum recorded wave heights at selected tide stations were as follows: 175 cm at
Adak, 25 cm at Unalaska and 10 cm at Sand Point, Alaska; 55 cm at Hilo, 36 cm at Kahului and 27 cm at Honolulu,
Hawaii; 45 cm at Coquimbo and 15 cm at Valparaiso, Chile; 46 cm at Kushiro, Hokkaido; 24 cm at Chichi-shima, Bonin
Islands; 40 cm at Port Lyttleton, New Zealand; 12 cm at Crescent City, California; 10 cm at Wake Island and 5 cm at
Apia, Samoa. Negative tsunami reports were received from Bering Island, USSR; San Francisco, California and Ponape,
Caroline Islands.
MAY 17 16 20 22.2 52.327 N 174.504 W 26 G 5.8 6.6 1.0 210 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS. Ms 6.5 (BRK), 6.5
(PAS). Slight damage (VI) on Atka. Felt strongly on
Adak. Depth from broadband displacement seismograms.
JUL 08 09 20 44.5& 34.000 N 116.610 W 12 5.8 6.0 300 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. (PAS-P). ML 6.0 (PAS). At least 29
people injured and some damage in the Palm
Springs-Morongo Valley area. Landslides occurred in the area. The most serious damage (VII) occured at the Devers
substation of Southern California Edison Company. Also some residences in the Whitewater Canyon area were badly
damaged. Preliminary estimate of damage approximately 4.5 million dollars. Damage (VI) at Angelus Oaks, Desert Hot
Springs, North Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Yucca Valley. Felt throughout much of southern
California. Also felt at Las Vegas, Nevada, Lake Havasu City, Arizona and in northern Baja California, Mexico.
Depth 8.5 km. from broadband displacement seismograms.
JUL 13 13 47 08.2& 32.970 N 117.870 W 10 5.6 5.8 268 CALIFORNIA-MEXICO BORDER REGION. (PAS-P). ML 5.3 (PAS).
Twenty nine people injured, one critically and at least
50 buildings damaged in the Newport Beach-San Diego
area. Preliminary estimate of damage 720 thousand
dollars. Also some damage reported in the Tijuana area,
Mexico. A small landslide occurred near Lakeside in
eastern San Diego County. Felt throughout the coastal
area of southern California, from Santa Barbara to San
Diego, east to Palm Springs and as far as Yuma,
Arizona.
JUL 21 14 42 26.6& 37.537 N 118.447 W 9 6.0 6.2 311 CALIFORNIA-NEVADA BORDER REGION. (BRK). ML 6.5 (BRK),
6.0 (PAS). Mo=3.5*10**24 (BRK). About 20 mobile homes
were damaged and a number of others shaken off their foundations in the Chalfant Valley, California. Several
buildings were damaged (VI) at Bishop, California. Landslides occurred in the area. Fault rupture, maximum of 5 cm.
of right-lateral slip, occurred along faults in the Volcanic Tableland west of Chalfant Valley and the White
Mountains fault zone. The earthquake was felt throughout a large area of California and Nevada from San Francisco
to Reno and south to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Felt in high-rise buildings as far away as Salt Lake City, Utah.
Depth 8.9 km. from broadband displacement seismograms.
1987
JAN 05 12 11 55.7 52.448 N 169.381 W 33 N 6.1 6.7 1.1 361 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS. Ms 6.5 (BRK), 6.3 (PAS).
Complex rupture. Felt (V) at Unalaska and (III) at
False Pass. Also felt strongly at Nikolski.
FEB 27 08 31 54.4 53.470 N 167.291 W 10 G 6.2 6.7 1.1 428 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS. Ms 6.8 (BRK), 6.4 (PAS)
Minor damage at Dutch Harbor and Unalaska. Felt (V) at
Akutan, (III) at Cold Bay and False Pass and (II) at
Sandpoint.
MAY 06 04 06 14.1 51.272 N 179.898 W 20 G 6.3 6.4 1.0 477 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS. ML 6.1 (PMR), Ms 6.5
(BRK), 6.2 (PAS). Felt (V) on Adak. Depth from
broadband displacement seismograms.
JUN 10 23 48 54.8& 38.713 N 87.954 W 10 4.9 4.4 173 SOUTHERN INDIANA. (SLM-P). mbLg 5.1 (SLM), Ms 4.6
(BRK). One person injured and minor damage (VI) at
Lawrenceville, Illinois. Minor damage also reported at
Bridgeport, Mt. Carmel and Olney, Illinois; Bloomfield
and New Albany, Indiana; and Louisville, Kentucky. Felt
in parts of 21 states from Kansas to Pennsylvania and
from South Carolina to Minnesota. Also felt in southern
Ontario, Canada.
OCT 01 14 42 20.0& 34.060 N 118.080 W 10 5.8 5.7 292 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. (PAS-P). ML 5.9 (PAS), 6.1 (BRK).
Eight people killed, many injured, about 2,200 homeless
and more than 10,400 buildings damaged in the Los
Angeles-Whittier-Pasadena area. The earthquake caused
358 million dollars in property damage. Maximum
intensity (VIII) at Whittier. Felt strongly in much of
southern California. Felt as far away as Las Vegas,
Nevada.
OCT 04 10 59 38.1& 34.070 N 118.100 W 8 5.2 4.8 151 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. (PAS-P). ML 5.3 (PAS), 5.6 (BRK).
One person died from a heart attack. Some injured and
additional damage in the Pasadena-Alhambra-Whittier
area. Felt from Ventura County to San Diego to Palm
Springs.
NOV 17 08 46 53.3& 58.586 N 143.270 W 10 G 6.6 6.9 581 GULF OF ALASKA. (AGS-P). ML 7.0 (PMR). Ms 7.0 (BRK),
6.8 (PAS). Complex event. Felt (V) at Anchorage,
Haines, Seward, Trapper Creek, Valdez and Yakutat. Felt
(IV) throughout much of southern Alaska from Juneau to
Anchorage. Also felt (IV) at Whitehorse, Yukon
Territory. Felt at Kodiak, Alaska and Carcross and
Haines Junction, Yukon Territory. Ten cm. tsunami
recorded at Yakutat.
NOV 24 01 54 14.5& 33.083 N 115.775 W 5 5.7 6.2 237 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. (PAS-P). ML 5.8 (PAS), 6.5 (BRK).
Two people killed in an earthquake-related automobile
accident about 80 km. east of Mexicali, Mexico. Slight
damage (VI) at Calipatria, El Centro, Heber and
Westmorland. Felt throughout much of southern
California from San Diego and Los Angeles to Las Vegas,
Nevada and Yuma, Arizona. Also felt at Mexicali,
Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico.
NOV 24 13 15 56.4& 33.010 N 115.840 W 2 6.0 6.6 327 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. (PAS-P). ML 6.1 (PAS), 6.7 (BRK).
Multiple event. At least 94 people injured and an
estimated 4 million dollars damage in Imperial County. Additional injuries and damage occurred in the Mexicali
area, Mexico, with an estimated 3,000 people temporarily homeless. Maximum intensities (VI-VII) at El Centro and
Westmorland, (VI) at Brawley, Calexico, Calipatria, Heber, Holtville, Imperial and Seeley. Felt throughout much
of southern California from San Diego and Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Nevada and Tempe, Arizona. Also felt at
Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico. Surface fault rupture and afterslip were mapped by California Division of Mines
and Geology along a 23 kilometer segment of the Superstition Hills fault. A maximum of 65 centimeters of right-
lateral displacement with a few centimeters of vertical displacement was measured. Strong-motion records indicate
peak accelerations of 0.21g at Westmorland and 0.36g at El Centro.
NOV 30 19 23 19.5& 58.679 N 142.786 W 10 G 6.7 7.6 584 GULF OF ALASKA. (SPEC). Ms 7.7 (BRK), 7.4 (PAS). ML 7.1
(PMR). Mo=1.2*10**20 Nm (BRK). Held to foreshock
location. Damage (VI) at Yakutat from earthquake and tsunami. Felt (V) at Anchorage, Copper Center, Gakona,
Haines, Homer, Juneau, Levelock, Petersburg, Seward and Skwentna. Also felt (V) in sections of Whitehorse, Yukon
Territory, Canada. Felt (IV) throughout southern Alaska from the Ketchikan area to Glennallen and Kodiak Island
and (III) as far away as Bethel and Fairbanks. Also felt at Sand Point and (II) at Anaktuvuk Pass. Some damage
caused to 2 ships at sea in the epicentral area; felt strongly on 3 other ships in the area. Tsunami generated
with wave heights (peak to trough) 85 cm. at Yakutat and 25 cm. at Sitka, Alaska; 15 cm. at Hilo, 12 cm. at
Nawiliwili and 5 cm. at Honolulu, Hawaii; and 5 cm. at Presidio, California. Complex event, with major subevent
occurring about 15 seconds after onset of the foreshock, observed on broadband displacement seismograms.
1988
FEB 11 15 25 55.6& 34.080 N 118.050 W 12 4.8 54 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. (PAS-P). ML 4.7 (PAS), 4.8 (BRK).
One person died from a heart attack. Some minor
injuries and damage (VI) in the Whittier area. Felt (V)
at Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bell
Gardens, Commerce, Downey, Fullerton, Glendale,
Inglewood, La Mirada, La Puente, Los Angeles, Maywood,
Montebello, Norwalk, Pasadena, San Gabriel and Vernon.
Felt strongly in much of southern California.
MAR 06 22 35 38.1& 56.953 N 143.032 W 10 G 6.8 7.6 759 GULF OF ALASKA. (AGS-P). ML 7.4 (PMR), Ms 7.5 (BRK).
Felt (V) at Anchorage, Cordova, Glennallen, Gustavus,
Homer, Juneau, Metlakatla, Pelican, Port Graham, Sitka and Valdez. Also felt (V) in some sections of Whitehorse,
Yukon Territory, Canada. Felt (IV) at Kodiak, (III) at Craig and Ketchikan and (II) at King Salmon. Estimated
5,000 dollars damage caused to the ships "Exxon North Slope," "Exxon Boston" and "Exxon New Orleans" located at
57` 38' North, 142` 45' West. Tsunami generated with wave heights (peak to trough) 38 cm. at Yakutat, 12 cm. at
Sitka and 8 cm. at Kodiak.
JUN 18 22 49 42.3 26.856 N 110.996 W 10 G 5.9 7.0 1.2 290 GULF OF CALIFORNIA. Felt at Caborca, Ciudad Obregon,
Guaymas and Navojoa, Mexico.
DEC 03 11 38 26.4& 34.150 N 118.130 W 13 G 4.4 4.2 61 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. (PAS-P). ML 4.9 (PAS), 5.0 (BRK).
Some minor injuries and slight damage reported in the
Pasadena area. Also slight damage (VI) at Bell Gardens, Los Angeles, Los Nietos, Norwalk and Pico Rivera. Felt (V)
at Arcadia, Artesia, Azusa, Bell, Bellflower, Burbank, Cedarpines Park, Chatsworth, Dana Point, Downey, Glendale,
Hawthorne, Huntington Beach, Hawaiian Gardens, Inglewood, La Canada, La Habra, Lynwood, Maywood, Montebello, Mount
Wilson, Ontario, Palmdale, San Dimas, San Gabriel, Sierra Madre, South El Monte, Sun Valley, Torrance, Tujunga,
Walnut and Whittier. Felt throughout much of southern California.
1989
JAN 19 06 53 27.5 33.912 N 118.705 W 10 G 5.2 4.8 0.9 121 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. ML 5.0 (PAS), 5.2 (BRK). Several
people injured, some broken windows and many items
knocked from store shelves in the Malibu-Santa
Monica-Redondo Beach area. Slight damage (VI) at
Hollywood, Lancaster, Los Angeles, Malibu and Monterey
Park. Felt from northern San Diego County to Santa
Barbara and as far east as San Bernardino.
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