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1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
  • 1989
  • United States
  • Contemporary era

1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

Major earthquake in Northern California

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On October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. PST, the Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on the Central Coast of California. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately 10 mi (16 km) northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of the San Andreas Fault System and was named for the nearby Loma Prieta Peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. With an Mw magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), the shock was responsible for 63 deaths and 3,757 injuries. The Loma Prieta segment of the San Andreas Fault System had been relatively inactive since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake until two moderate foreshocks occurred in June 1988 and again in August 1989.

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1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake (1989) - Hear the Story | AudaStories