Today, according to this BBC News story, marks the 140th anniversary of the last major earthquake to strike the Hayward Fault, one of the many fault lines which criss-cross the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Hayward Fault, which runs directly through Oakland to the east of downtown San Francisco, is described on the USGS website as a “tectonic time bomb, due anytime for another magnitude 6.8 to 7.0 earthquake.”
The 1868 quake was described at the time as the “great San Francisco earthquake” until the magnitude 7.8 shock on 18 April 1906. You can read a report of the damage on the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Only 12,00 people lived in Oakland at the time, in mainly wooden buildings, but the possible consequences today are enormous and so many parties have come together to form the 1868 Hayward Earthquake Alliance to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the 1868 ‘big one’ and to raise public awareness of another imminent quake.
These historical photos show the destruction caused by the quake to old wooden structures. Joking aside in the title of this post, spare a thought for those living in the area now. Budding geologists and seismologists should take a trip and check out the sites courtesy of this handy field guide to one of North America’s most dangerous earthquake faults, including a 96 page PDF field trip planner.
Tags: California | Travel
