1906 California, USA Earthquake
San Francisco, California, USA — April 18, 1906
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire destroyed most of San Francisco and killed an estimated 3,000 people. It is the deadliest natural disaster in California's history and remains a defining event in American disaster preparedness and urban rebuilding history.
Earthquake Facts
Magnitude
M7.9
Date
Apr 18, 1906
Depth
8 km
Deaths
3,000
Latitude
37.742°
Longitude
-122.420°
Tsunami
No
Region
California, USA
Tectonic Cause
Right-lateral strike-slip rupture of approximately 477 km along the San Andreas Fault. The earthquake was the first major earthquake studied with modern scientific methods, helping establish the theory of elastic rebound.
Aftermath in Pictures
Photos from Wikimedia Commons — open licenses (CC / Public Domain)
Images sourced from Wikimedia Commons under open licenses. Attribution required where specified. Click any image to enlarge.
Related Earthquakes in California, USA
Sources & Further Reading
Track Earthquakes in Real Time
Earthquake Globe sends push notifications when earthquakes occur near any location you choose, before you see it on the news.
iOS 16+ · iPhone & iPad · No subscription required