Earthquakes are a fact of life in California. Listed here are
only a few of the largest events, but tremors are recorded daily
throughout the state. Click on the following links for more
information: HISTORICAL CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKES BY MONTH RECENT
EARTHQUAKES IN CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY • NORTHERN CALIFORNIA • SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA TIME: January 17, 1994 / 4:30:55 am PST LOCATION: 20
miles west-northwest of Los Angeles At 4:30 am, on January 17,
1994, residents of the greater Los Angeles area were rudely
awakened by the strong shaking of the Northridge earthquake.
This was the first earthquake to strike directly under an urban
area of the United States since the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.
The earthquake occurred on a blind thrust fault, and produced
the strongest ground motions ever instrumentally recorded in an
urban setting in North America. Damage was wide-spread, sections
of major freeways collapsed, parking structures and office
buildings collapsed, and num