1906 Earthquake Facts: Natural Disaster That Destroyed San Francisco

The San Francisco earthquake has been talked about several times.

The whole facade sends chills down our spines, but there are some matters still unknown. Let's learn some really fascinating facts.

In 1906, an earthquake with a 7.9-moment magnitude hit the coasts of Northern California. It was recorded in the early morning of a Wednesday, at 05:12 a.m. on April 18.

The estimated Marcelli intensity of that earthquake was expected to be extreme, and it was. The North Coast was trembling from Eureka to the Salina Valley.

This shaking was also felt towards the south of the San Francisco Bay area. Precisely, people from Los Angeles to Central Nevada and Oregon felt the shaking. This disaster was one of the deadliest and damaging earthquakes caused in the United States.

The damage to property and life was immeasurable - around 3,000 people died, and 80% of San Francisco's infrastructure was destroyed completely. Let's dig into some uncommon events that took place during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake!

If you enjoyed reading this article, you must also check out 1883 Krakatoa eruption facts and California earthquakes for more such articles.

Scary Facts About The 1906 Earthquake

An earthquake is a scary thing! Imagine being present during a time in a place where the land starts trembling, causing buildings, homes, and farms to fall apart.

And, this infrastructural destruction causes the loss of humans, animals, aquatic life, and much more. Earthquakes have long-term and terrible effects on the lives of people and the economy. Here are some facts about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake that are quite scary.

The epicenter of the incident was 2 mi (3 km) west of San Francisco in the Pacific Ocean. 50% of San Francisco's population, which was around 227,000-300,000, was left homeless.

The gas and water pipelines in San Francisco were ruptured as a response to the earthquake. Leaking gas functioned as a fuel for fires that swiftly expanded across the metropolis, making it impossible for the fire department to put out the flames due to a shortage of water.

A whole 296 mi (476 km) of the San Andreas fault collapsed. A powerful pre-shock occurred about 20–25 seconds before the major earthquake.

The main shock's severe shaking continued roughly for 42 seconds.

Did you know? There was also a building that survived this event!

San Francisco's Old US Mint (also known as 'The Granite Lady') is a National Historic Landmark and one of the few central structures to escape the 1906 earthquake and fires that ravaged the city center.

Because it was constructed of a relatively new substance that had been mostly neglected (and aggressively resisted) in California, the Bekins building was able to endure.

Reinforced concrete is the component in question.

The earthquake was a strike-slip type, wherein the bedrock on one side of the crack shifts abruptly in relation to the other.

The media reported that Golden Gate Park, the Presidio, the Panhandle, and the shores around Ingleside and North Beach were filled with makeshift tents at the moment.

Despite the earthquake's enormous magnitude (M 7.8), the tsunami surge triggered by it was only about 4 in (10 cm) in height.

Facts About Damage Caused By The 1906 Earthquake

Earthquakes cause a lot of damage; it can be physical, like the destruction of buildings or infrastructure, or monetary. Monetary backwardness is due to the lost time in which the economy could have flourished, or the incentives needed to get back on track.

Plus, there is the trauma imprinted on the lives of people that they might never overcome. So, in short, there is a ton of damage. Here is a gist of all the problems faced by the San Franciscans during the 1906 earthquake.

The earthquake and wildfires were projected to have cost $500 million in devastation. This caused a total of 28,000 structures to be destroyed.

The entire loss of house value was predicted to be $350 million. 3,000 people died as a result of the accident, but it is said that the death toll number is still uncertain.

In addition, all liquor or alcohol costing about $30,000 was destroyed in an attempt to reduce the fire spread. Broken electricity transmission lines and fuel pipes, as well as damaged fireplaces, caused nearly 30 fires.

And, one of the biggest incidents, the 'Ham and Eggs' blaze, started when someone ignited their burner to prepare breakfast. The cable cars came to a halt, City Hall collapsed, and the glass dome of the Palace Hotel shattered, littering the patio below.

The fire burned for four days until the burning ashes were finally put out by rain. Finally, the city of San Francisco, as well as other communities near the fault, such as San Jose, Salinas, and Santa Rosa, suffered significant damage.

Facts About The Aftermath Of The 1906 Earthquake

Even though an earthquake can be as short as 20 seconds, it causes severe damage, which is why a lot of damage relief efforts are needed. Damage relief includes food, water, medicine, army troops, relief houses (official refugee camp), and more. Let's look into some alterations and procedures that were made after the earthquake took place.

The earthquake forever altered the flow of the Salinas River at its source in Monterey County.

The stream was shifted 6 mi (9.6 km) to the south to a different exit just north of Marina, where it formerly drained towards Monterey Bay between Moss Landing and Watsonville. Most of the people who were rescued escaped to Oakland and Berkeley, on the other side of the bay.

Refugee camps continued to operate for well past two years after the incident.

There were long-term and considerable constraints on California's growth left by the earthquake that struck. However, individuals were already using steam power to tear down standing walls and explosives to take down dangerous constructions within a week of the earthquake.

Early on, army forces offered vital services, such as policing streets to prevent stealing and defending buildings.

Relief supplies of basic necessities came from the city, while $10 million in financial assistance came from abroad, including Europe, Japan, and China, as well as other regions of America.

And, by July 1906, San Francisco enacted a law requiring homeowners to remove all debris. Although San Francisco swiftly recovered, the tragedy shifted commerce, manufacturing, and population expansion south to Los Angeles, which grew to become the west's largest and most influential city during the 20th century.

It is said that it took a total of nine years to bring back San Francisco on its legs due to the efforts put in by San Franciscans.

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake left the city and its entire downtown in terrible misery. However, the government and the people of San Francisco took collaboratively resilient initiatives to get the city back into everyday health conditions.

San Francisco had already been reconstructed by April 1908. Even by contemporary standards, the city of San Francisco has made a quick comeback. Another interesting fact is that it was the first major natural hazard to be photographed.

Factors That Caused The 1906 Earthquake

An earthquake is arisen due to several natural and man-made reasons or discrepancies. Similarly, this earthquake was caused by numerous circumstances.

A displacement along the San Andreas Fault that traverses the San Francisco Peninsula immediately to the west of the city caused the earthquake. The area on the east side of the fault slid towards the south, along with the city and San Francisco Bay, whereas the area on the western side was forced northward.

During the earthquake, over 20 ft (6 m) of ground was displaced.

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