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Earthquakes in Southern California

Entry ID: gov.noaa.ngdc.G01201

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Summary

Abstract: ABSTRACT: There have been many earthquake occurrences in Southern California. This set of slides shows earthquake damage from the following events: Imperial Valley, 1979, Westmorland, 1981, Palm Springs, 1986; and Whittier, 1987. These events were all earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 or higher with damage estimates of one million dollars or more. Imperial Valley Earthquake of October 15, 1979. ... Epicenter 32.6 N, 115.3 W; depth: 7 km; magnitude 6.8; damage: $30 million; no deaths. The earthquake was felt over approx. 128,000 sq km. The worst damage occurred in southern Imperial County and northeastern Baja California where eleven businesses and two homes were destroyed. Four hundred forty businesses and 1565 homes were damaged. Although there were no deaths, ninety-one people were reported injured mainly by flying glass or by falling objects. The greatest single structural loss was to the Imperial County Services Building in El Centro. Non-structural damage included damage to bridge abutments that were cracked and roadbeds that shifted due to slumping or faulting. The agriculture industry incurred damage to canals and irrigation ditches, damage to subsurface drain tiles which were disturbed by the movement along the Imperial Fault. The worst damage incurred by the agriculture industry wasto the All-American Canal which brings Colorado River water into the Imperial Valley. Ground shaking caused the collapse of levees on both sides of the canal along a 13-km stretch of the canal east of Calexico. Extensive lateral slope failure occurred along this and other canals. In some places canal banks settled by more than 1 m. Westmorland Earthquake of April 26, 1981. Epicenter 33.1 N, 115.6 W; depth: 4 km; magnitude 6.3 ML(B); damage: $1-3 million; no deaths. Twelve buildings in Westmorland were severely damaged, ten beyond repair, and an additional 30 sustained minor damage. Seventy percent of the town's 900 homes (many of which were built of adobe and brick) were damaged, and five homes were condemned. Six mobile homes were knocked off their foundations and nine homes sustained minor damage to foundations, porches, and walls. Electrical service was interrupted for onehour and the water supply was interrupted for 10 hours. The sewage plant sustained an estimated $40,000 damage. Total damage was estimated at $1.5 million. Subsidence was reported on several rural roads in the area. Liquefaction caused scores of "mudpots," and oozing soil in nearby fields. One country road west of Westmorland collapsed, producing a 2-footdrop-off. In rural areas $100,000 in damages was incurred when unreinforced, concrete-lined irrigation canals were broken. Palm Springs Earthquake of July 8, 1986. Epicenter 34.0 N, 116.6 W; depth: 10 km; magitude 6.0; damage: $4.5 million; no deaths. At least 29 people were injured and some damage occurred in the Palm Springs-Morongo Valley area. Landslides ccurred in the area. The quake caused serious damage at the Devers substation of Southern California Edison Company. Some residences in the Whitewater Canyon area were badly damaged. Damage from this quake was approximately $4.5 million. Minor damage occurred at Angelus Oaks, Desert Hot Springs, North Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Yucca Valley. The quake was felt throughout much of southern California and in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lake Havasu City, Arizona and in the northern Baja California area of the United States and Mexico. Whittier Narrows Earthquake of October 1, 1987. Epicenter 34.0 N, 118.1 W; depth: 11 km; magnitude 5.9; damage: $358 million; 8 deaths. At 7:42 A. M (Pacific Daylight Time), on October 1, 1987, a fault located about 11 km below the surface and 20 km east of downtown Los Angeles, California, began to rupture. The fault was an extension of the previously identified Whittier fault. The resulting earthquake caused about $358 million in property damage and the loss of 8 lives. Severe damage was confined mainly to communities east of Los Angeles and near the epicenter. No severe structural damage to high-rise structures in downtown Los Angeles was reported. Non-structural damage did occur, however. In Whittier the most severe damage occurred in the "Uptown" business district. Similar damage was observed in the old downtown section of Alhambra and in the "Old Town" section of Pasadena. These areas had high concentrations of unreinforced masonry buildings. Residences which sustained damage usually were constructed of masonry, were not fully anchored to foundations, or were houses built over garages with large door openings. Many chimneys collapsed and in some cases, fell through roofs. Wood frame residences sustained relatively little damage. Damage often occurred around large windows. Light fixtures and suspended ceilings fell in many buildings within a 10-km radius of the epicenter. A student at California State University, Los Angeles was killed when the connectors for a precast concrete fascia panel failed and the panel fell two stories crushing her. Damage was incurred on a bridge at the interchange of I-605 and I-5, where the columns in the center were severely damaged.

CURRENTNESS REFERENCE: Publication Date

Fees: $25.00 plus handling and shipping outside the USA None $145/$195 plus handling and shipping outside the USA

Purpose: PURPOSE: Make available Damage Photos for research and education

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Description: This section of the guide describes the level 1b datasets from Tiros Operational Vertical Sounder instruments.

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: 33.59

S: 32.5

E: -115.3

W: -118.02

Data Set Citation

Dataset Originator/Creator: DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce (comp)

Dataset Title: Earthquakes in Southern California

Dataset Release Date: 1994

Dataset Release Place: Boulder, CO

Dataset Publisher: National Geophysical Data Center

Version: First

Other Citation Details: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/fliers/se-0801.shtml

Online Resource: http://map.ngdc.noaa.gov/website/seg/hazards/viewer.htm

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 1979-10-15

Stop Date: 1987-10-31

Location Keywords

CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > CALIFORNIA

Science Keywords

SOLID EARTH > TECTONICS > EARTHQUAKES > EARTHQUAKE OCCURRENCES

SOLID EARTH > TECTONICS > PLATE TECTONICS > FAULT MOVEMENT

SOLID EARTH > TECTONICS > PLATE TECTONICS > LITHOSPHERIC PLATE MOTION

ISO Topic Category

GEOSCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

Project

ESIP > Earth Science Information Partners Program

Access Constraints ACCESS CONSTRAINTS: None

DISTRIBUTION LIABILITY: While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.

CUSTOM ORDER PROCESS: Contact Data Center

Use Constraints None

Ancillary Keywords

WDC/SEG, BOULDER > World Data Center for Solid Earth Geophysics, Boulder

DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce

SEISMIC ACTIVITY

Data Set Progress

COMPLETE

Data Center

National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce

Data Center URL: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/
Dataset ID: ______Document ____

Data Center Personnel
Name: NGDC USER SERVICES Phone: (303) 497-6826 Fax: (303) 497-6513 Email: ngdc.info at noaa.gov Contact Address: NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC E/GC 325 Broadway City: Boulder Province or State: CO Postal Code: 80305-3328 Country: USA

Distribution

Distribution Size: 24738

Distribution Format: TIFF

Fees: Please See Summary

Distribution Format: TIFF

Fees: Please See Summary

Personnel

JOY IKELMAN

Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Phone: 303-497-6419

Fax: 303-497-6513

Email: Joy.A.Ikelman at noaa.gov

Contact Address:

NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC

Mail Code E/GC4

325 Broadway

City: Boulder

Province or State: CO

Postal Code: 80303

Country: USA

KELLY STROKER

Role: DIF AUTHOR

Phone: (303) 497-4603

Fax: (303) 497-6513

Email: kelly.stroker at noaa.gov

Contact Address:

NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC E/GC1 325 Broadway

City: Boulder

Province or State: CO

Postal Code: 80305-3328

Country: USA

Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2008-01-18

Last DIF Revision Date: 2011-03-29

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