1933 Long Beach earthquake
Encyclopedia
The Long Beach earthquake of 1933 took place on March 10, 1933 at 17:55 PST (March 11, 01:55 UTC
), with a magnitude
of 6.4, causing widespread damage to buildings throughout Southern California
. The epicenter was offshore, southeast of Long Beach
on the Newport-Inglewood Fault
. An estimated fifty million dollars worth of property damage resulted, and 120 lives were lost. Many of these fatalities occurred as people ran out of buildings and were hit by falling debris.
The major damage occurred in the thickly settled district from Long Beach to the industrial section south of Los Angeles, where unfavorable geological conditions (made land, water-soaked alluvium
) combined with poor structural work to increase the damage. At Long Beach, buildings collapsed, water tanks fell through roofs, and houses displaced on foundations. School buildings were among those structures most generally and severely damaged.
The earthquake eliminated all doubts regarding the need for earthquake resistant design for structures in California. So many school buildings were damaged, with more than 230 school buildings that were either destroyed, suffered major damage, or were judged unsafe to occupy, that the Field Act
was passed by the California State Legislature
on April 10, 1933. The Field Act mandated that school buildings must be earthquake-resistant. If the earthquake had occurred during school hours, the death toll would have been much higher.
Pacific Bible Seminary (now known as Hope International University
) was forced to move classes out of First Christian Church of Long Beach and into a small local home due to damage from the earthquake.
The earthquake struck during the filming of the comedy International House
(1933), and film supposedly exists of the quake striking the soundstage during shooting. However, the director of the film, A. Edward Sutherland
, later claimed that the footage was a hoax, concocted by himself and W.C. Fields, the star of the film.
The earthquake also interrupted filming of "The Shadow Waltz," a musical scene in Gold Diggers of 1933
, nearly throwing choreographer Busby Berkeley
from a camera boom, and rattling dancers on a 30 feet (9.1 m)-high platform.
A total of 120 people died in the earthquake.
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
), with a magnitude
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
of 6.4, causing widespread damage to buildings throughout Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. The epicenter was offshore, southeast of Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
on the Newport-Inglewood Fault
Newport-Inglewood Fault
The Newport-Inglewood Fault is a right-lateral fault in Southern California. The fault extends for from Culver City southeast to Newport Beach at which point it runs out into the Pacific Ocean. The fault can be seen on the Earth's surface as line of hills extending from Signal Hill to Culver City...
. An estimated fifty million dollars worth of property damage resulted, and 120 lives were lost. Many of these fatalities occurred as people ran out of buildings and were hit by falling debris.
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
) combined with poor structural work to increase the damage. At Long Beach, buildings collapsed, water tanks fell through roofs, and houses displaced on foundations. School buildings were among those structures most generally and severely damaged.
The earthquake eliminated all doubts regarding the need for earthquake resistant design for structures in California. So many school buildings were damaged, with more than 230 school buildings that were either destroyed, suffered major damage, or were judged unsafe to occupy, that the Field Act
Field Act
The Field Act was one of the first pieces of legislation that mandated earthquake resistant construction in the United States...
was passed by the California State Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
on April 10, 1933. The Field Act mandated that school buildings must be earthquake-resistant. If the earthquake had occurred during school hours, the death toll would have been much higher.
Pacific Bible Seminary (now known as Hope International University
Hope International University
Hope International University is a Private Christian University in Fullerton, California. The campus is located just south of California State University, Fullerton. Hope International University has an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students representing 35 states and 40 countries...
) was forced to move classes out of First Christian Church of Long Beach and into a small local home due to damage from the earthquake.
The earthquake struck during the filming of the comedy International House
International House (1933 film)
International House is a comedy film, directed by A. Edward Sutherland and released by Paramount Pictures. The tagline of the film was "the Grand Hotel of comedy".-Actors:*Peggy Hopkins Joyce as herself*W. C. Fields as Prof. Henry R...
(1933), and film supposedly exists of the quake striking the soundstage during shooting. However, the director of the film, A. Edward Sutherland
A. Edward Sutherland
A. Edward Sutherland aka Eddie Sutherland was a film director and actor. Born Albert Edward Sutherland in London, he was from a theatrical family. His father, Al Sutherland, was a theatre manager and producer and his mother, Julie Ring, was a vaudeville performer...
, later claimed that the footage was a hoax, concocted by himself and W.C. Fields, the star of the film.
The earthquake also interrupted filming of "The Shadow Waltz," a musical scene in Gold Diggers of 1933
Gold Diggers of 1933
Gold Diggers of 1933 is a pre-code Warner Bros. musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren and Al Dubin , staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley...
, nearly throwing choreographer Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer. Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns...
from a camera boom, and rattling dancers on a 30 feet (9.1 m)-high platform.
A total of 120 people died in the earthquake.