...Remembering the April 18, 1906
              Great San Francisco Earthquake...

...and the significance of this seismic event remains to this day.

At 5:12 a.m. the San Francisco Bay area experienced a powerful shock, which moments later became one of the largest faulting events ever recorded. The earth ruptured at the surface along the San Andreas Fault almost 300 miles from the epicenter in San Francisco toward the northwest. Violent shaking occurred for almost one minute and was reportedly felt in Oregon, Nevada, and Los Angeles.

The effects were devastating with broken water pipes, downed power lines, and a resulting fire which burned most of San Francisco to the ground. Over 400,000 people were left homeless and several hundred deaths were reported; however, later revisions suggest over 3,000 people were killed. The overall damage was estimated at $400 million ($6.5 billion in 2006 dollars).

The vast amounts of scientific data collected from this earthquake has helped scientists develop many of today’s geologic theories, including ideas about modern plate tectonics and Reid’s elastic-rebound theory.

Over the past one hundred years, collaborative research from this earthquake among USGS scientists and other agencies has helped achieve a better understanding of our relationship between future natural hazards and being prepared to prevent the loss of lives and infrastructure.

Click here to visit USGS Earthquakes Hazards Program and learn more about current research taking place, the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and other seismic events.

Click here to view historical USGS images from the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.