Historic Earthquakes

Corralitos, California
1890 April 02 11:36 UTC
Magnitude 6.3

This severe earthquake caused extensive loss of chimneys and some damage to brick and frame buildings from San Juan Bautista to Green Valley. Chimneys were knocked over at Watsonville and Corralitos, and buildings were twisted on their foundations at Corralitos. The San Andreas fault probably ruptured in the area where it crosses the Pajaro River. Fissures were reported on or near the fault, and a railroad bridge across the Pajaro River (near the fault) shifted about 5 meters out of alignment. Aftershocks occurred for many days.

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.