Today in Earthquake History

Today's Earthquake Fact:
A tsunami is a large wave caused by earthquakes, submarine landslides, and, infrequently, by eruptions of island volcanoes. During a major earthquake, an enormous amount of water can be set in motion as the seafloor moves up and down. The result is a series of potentially destructive waves that can move at more than 500 miles per hour.

Year at a Glance

October

Note: All earthquake dates are UTC, not local time.

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Year	Location	Magnitude	Comment

1947	Wood River, Alaska	7.2	One of the Largest Earthquakes in the United States.

1981	Off Coast of Central Chile	7.5	One person killed in an auto accident caused by a panicked driver. Felt throughout central Chile. Maximum intensity (VI) at Las Cruces and Vina del Mar. From Significant Earthquakes of the World, 1981.

1999	Southern California	7.1	Four people slightly injured when an Amtrak train derailed near Ludlow. Damage (VII) at Landers, Ludlow, Twentynine Palms and Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base. Slight damage (VI) at Amboy, Apple Valley, Baker, Barstow, Big Bear Lake, Cima, Crest Park, Desert Center, Essex, Fawnskin, Fort Irwin, Hemet, Highland, Hinkley, Joshua Tree, Lucerne Valley, Newberry Springs, Olancha, Palm Springs, Phelan, Ridgecrest, Tecopa, Thousand Palms and Victorville. Also slight damage (VI) at Laughlin, Nevada. Felt (V) at many localities in southern California, southern Nevada and western Arizona. Also felt at Ensenada, Mexicali, Tecate and Tijuana, Baja California. Surface faulting observed along a 45-kilometer segment of the Lavic Lake Fault with as much as 2.8-4.7 meters of right-lateral displacement. Complex earthquake begins with tiny precursor followed by major events about 4 and 7 seconds after the onset. From Significant Earthquakes of the World 1999.

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