1992 Landers earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1992 Landers earthquake was a magnitude 7.3 earthquake that occurred on June 28, 1992 with an epicenter near the town of Landers
, California
. The quake was described at the time as the largest earthquake to have occurred in the contiguous United States in 40 years.
meant that damage and loss of life were significantly less than what they could have been.
The earthquake was a right-lateral strike-slip event, and involved the rupture of 5 different faults over a length of 85 kilometres (52.8 mi). The names of those that were involved are the Johnson Valley, Landers, Homestead Valley, Emerson, and Camp Rock faults.
Damage to the area immediately surrounding the epicenter was severe. Roads were buckled, buildings and chimneys collapsed. There were also large surface fissures. To the west in the Los Angeles Basin
damage was much less severe. The majority of the damage throughout the LA area involved items knocked off shelves. Unlike the Northridge event a year and half later, no freeway bridges were knocked down because of the epicenter's remote location. Power was knocked out to thousands of residents, but generally restored within two to three hours. There was some damage to homes from water displaced from swimming pools.
Loss of life in this earthquake was minimal. Two people died as the result of heart attacks. A three-year-old boy from Massachusetts
, visiting Yucca Valley with his parents, died when bricks from a chimney collapsed into the living room where he was sleeping, and more than 400 people sustained injuries as a result of the earthquake.
determined that this was a separate, but related, earthquake. These two earthquakes are considered a regional earthquake sequence, rather than a main shock and aftershock.
Landers, California
Landers is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California. The town lies in the Homestead Valley of the Mojave Desert, northeast of Flamingo Heights. The closest large towns are Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree. The town has its own small airport, Landers Airport.Near Landers is Giant...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The quake was described at the time as the largest earthquake to have occurred in the contiguous United States in 40 years.
The earthquake itself
At 04:57 local time (11:57 UTC) on June 28, 1992, a large quake awoke much of Southern California. Though it turned out it was not the so-called "Big One," it was nonetheless a very powerful earthquake. The shaking lasted for two to three minutes. Although this earthquake was much more powerful than the 1994 Northridge earthquake, its location out in the Mojave DesertMojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
meant that damage and loss of life were significantly less than what they could have been.
The earthquake was a right-lateral strike-slip event, and involved the rupture of 5 different faults over a length of 85 kilometres (52.8 mi). The names of those that were involved are the Johnson Valley, Landers, Homestead Valley, Emerson, and Camp Rock faults.
Damage and casualties
Los Angeles Basin
The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the Peninsular and Transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles as well as its southern and southeastern suburbs...
damage was much less severe. The majority of the damage throughout the LA area involved items knocked off shelves. Unlike the Northridge event a year and half later, no freeway bridges were knocked down because of the epicenter's remote location. Power was knocked out to thousands of residents, but generally restored within two to three hours. There was some damage to homes from water displaced from swimming pools.
Loss of life in this earthquake was minimal. Two people died as the result of heart attacks. A three-year-old boy from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, visiting Yucca Valley with his parents, died when bricks from a chimney collapsed into the living room where he was sleeping, and more than 400 people sustained injuries as a result of the earthquake.
Related earthquakes
The quake was preceded by the 6.1 magnitude Joshua Tree earthquake on April 23, which was located to the south of the future Landers epicenter. The 6.5 magnitude Big Bear earthquake, which hit about three hours later after the Landers mainshock, was originally considered an aftershock. However, the United States Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
determined that this was a separate, but related, earthquake. These two earthquakes are considered a regional earthquake sequence, rather than a main shock and aftershock.
See also
- Earthquakes in CaliforniaEarthquakes in CaliforniaEarthquakes in California are common occurrences as the state is located on the San Andreas Fault, which cuts across California and forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific and the North American Plate. There are many thousands of small earthquakes per year, most of them are so small that...
- List of earthquakes in the United States
- 2010 Baja California earthquake2010 Baja California earthquakeThe 2010 Baja California earthquake was an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude on the moment magnitude scale. It started south of Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico, at a depth of . It occurred at 3:40:41 p.m...
External links
- Landers Earthquake at the Southern California Earthquake Data Center
- Big Bear Earthquake at the Southern California Earthquake Data Center