Earthquake Damage - General

An earthquake is the motion or trembling of the ground produced by sudden displacement of rock in the Earth's crust. Earthquakes result from crustal strain, volcanism, landslides, and collapse of caverns. Earthquakes can affect hundreds of thousands of square kilometers; cause damage to property measured in the tens of billions of dollars; result in loss of life and injury to hundreds of thousands of persons; and disrupt the social and economic functioning of the affected area. This set of slides provides an overview and summary of effects caused by 11 earthquakes in eight countries. The images show surface faulting, landslides, soil liquefaction, and structural damage.

Earthquake Damage in San Francisco, California, April 18, 1906

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was the largest event (magnitude 8.3) to occur in the conterminous United States in the 20th Century. Recent estimates indicate that as many as 3,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake and ensuing fire. In terms of 1906 dollars, the total property damage amounted to about $24 million from the earthquake and $350 million from the fire. The fire destroyed 28,000 buildings in a 520block area of San Francisco. This set includes a panoramic view of San Francisco in flames a few hours after the earthquake, damage scenes from the area, and other unique photographs.

Earthquake Damage in Mexico City, Mexico, September 19, 1985

On September 19, 1985, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurred off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The damage was concentrated in a 25 km2 area of Mexico City, 350 km from the epicenter. The underlying geology and geologic history of Mexico City contributed to this unusual concentration of damage at a distance from the epicenter. Of a population of 18 million, an estimated 10,000 people were killed, and 50,000 were injured. In addition, 250,000 people lost their homes and property damage amounted to $5 billion. This set of slides shows different types of damaged buildings and the major kinds of structural failure that occurred in this earthquake including collapse of top, middle and bottom floors and total building failure. The effect of the subsoils on the earthshaking and building damage is emphasized.

Earthquake Damage to Transportation Systems

Earthquakes represent one of the most destructive natural hazards known to man. A serious result of largemagnitude earthquakes is the disruption of transportation systems, which limits post-disaster emergency response. Damage to transportation systems is categorized in this set of images by cause including: ground failure, faulting, vibration damage, and tsunamis. This set of slides depicts earthquake damage to streets, highways, bridges, overpasses, and railroads. Earthquakes in Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Armenia, and the United States are represented.

Earthquake Damage to Schools

The set of slides graphically illustrates the potential danger that major earthquakes pose to school structures and to the children and adults who happen to be inside at the time of the earthquake. It includes pictures from 1886 to 1988. The slide set includes nine destructive earthquakes that occurred in the U.S. and eight earthquakes that occurred in foreign countries.

Great Alaska Earthquake, Prince William Sound, March 28, 1964

The Prince William Sound magnitude 8.4 earthquake at 03:36 UT on March 28, 1964, was one of the largest shocks ever recorded on the North American Continent. The quake was felt over 500,000 square miles. The quake took 131 lives and caused $350-500 million in property damage (One hundred twentytwo of the deaths were attributed to the tsunami.) The area of the damage zone (50,000 square miles) and the duration of the quake (3 to 4 minutes) were extraordinary. This set of slides shows geologic changes, damage to structures, transportation systems, and utilities and tsunami damage. It features the effects of four major landslides in Anchorage during the 1964 event.

Earthquakes in Southern California

There have been many earthquake occurrences in Southern California. This set of slides shows earthquake damage from the following events: Imperial Valley, 1979, Westmorland, 1981, Palm Springs, 1986; and Whittier, 1987. These events were all earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 or higher with damage estimates of one million dollars or more.

Earthquakes in Central California, 1980-1984

There have been many earthquake occurrences in central California This set of slides shows earthquake damage from the following events: Livermore, 1980, Coalinga, 1983; and Morgan Hill, 1984. All of these earthquakes had a magnitude of 5.9 or higher with estimates of eight million dollars of damage or more.

Faults

Through the study of faults and their effects, much can be learned about the size and recurrence intervals of earthquakes. Faults also teach us about crustal movements that have produced mountains and changed continents. Initially a section of Earth's crust may merely bend under pressure to a new position. Or slow movement known as seismic creep may continue unhindered along a fault plane. However stresses often continue to build until they exceed the strength of the rock in that section of crust. The rock then breaks, and an earthquake occurs, sometimes releasing massive amounts of energy. The ensuing earth displacement is known as a fault. This slide set describes the mechanism and types of faulting. It illustrates a variety of fault expressions in natural and manmade features.

Earthquake Damage, the Armenian SSR, December 7, 1988

On December 7, 1988, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook northwestern Armenia, and was followed four minutes later by a magnitude 5.8 aftershock. The earthquakes affected an area 80 km in diameter. This set includes damage photographs taken in and around the devastated cities of Spitak and Leninakan, where 25,000 deaths occurred. It illustrates the structural types that were vulnerable to failure.

Loma Prieta Earthquake, Part 1

On October 17, 1989, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred near Loma Prieta in the Santa Cruz mountains. Movement occurred along a 40-km segment of the San Andreas fault from southwest of Los Gatos to north of San Juan Bautista. This slide set includes damage in the more rural areas affected by the quake including: Boulder Creek, Aptos, Los Gatos, San Jose, Scott's Valley, and Watsonville. The slides also depict earth cracks and structural damage to homes in the Santa Cruz mountains.

Loma Prieta Earthquake, Part 2

On October 17, 1989, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred near Loma Prieta in the Santa Cruz mountains. This earthquake is also known as the "San Francisco World Series Earthquake." The slide set focuses on the effects in San Francisco and Oakland. It highlights the damage in the Marina area of San Francisco. The set also includes photographs in the rea south of Market Street where five deaths occurred, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and the Nimitz Freeway (I-880) where 41 deaths occurred.

Earthquake Damage, Northern Iran, June 21, 1990

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred in the Gilan Province between the towns of Rudbar and Manjil in northern Iran on Thursday, June 21, 1990. The event, the largest ever to be recorded in that part of the Caspian Sea region, may have been composed of two or more closely-spaced earthquakes occurring in rapid succession. These quakes, exceptionally close yo the surface for this region, were also unusually destructive. This slide set depicts damage resulting from intensive ground motion and soil liquefaction. It shows damage to buildings of various types, including unreinforced masonry, steel structures, and concrete buildings.

Environmental Hazards and Mud Volcanoes in Romania

Romania, an eastern European country, is severely affected by a variety of natural hazards. These include frequent earthquakes, floods, landslides, soil erosion, and drought all of which have major social and economic impacts. Thus, there is a long tradition of study of these hazards by scientific researchers in Romania. This set of slides includes examples of landslides, rockfalls, sheet erosion, and mudflows.

Cape Mendocino, California Earthquakes, April 25 & 26, 1992

On April 25, 1992, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred in the Cape Mendocino area. Two additional earthquakes, magnitudes 6.6 and 6.7 occurred the next morning. The first earthquake was located six miles north of Petrolia, California, in a sparsely populated part of southwestern Humboldt County. Five small communities were located within a 50 mile radius of these events: Honeydew, Petrolia, Rio Dell, Scotia, and Ferndale. This slide set illustrates the effects and damage of a moderately large earthquake and moderate aftershocks on this sparsely settled area.

Landers and Big Bear, California Earthquakes, June 28, 1992

Southern California residents were rudely awakened early Sunday morning June 28, 1992, by an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 (Ms) followed by a smaller 6.7 (s) magnitude earthquake about three hours later. The largest shock occurred approximately six miles southwest of Landers, California and 110 miles east of Los Angeles. The second earthquake was entered approximately eight miles southeast of Big Bear City in the San Bernardino Mountains near Barton Flats. A distance of seventeen miles and 7,000 feet in elevation separate the two earthquake locations. In addition to depicting the differences in terrain of the two locations, examples of structural damage, liquefaction, surface faulting, and earthquake-generated landslides are illustrated.

Northridge, California Earthquake, January 17, 1994, Set 1

At 4:31 A.M. (Local time) on Monday, January 17, 1994, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake twenty miles west northwest of downtown Los Angeles awoke nearly everyone in southern California. Damage was most extensive in the San Fernando Valley, the Simi Valley, and in the northern part of the Los Angeles Basin. This slide set depicts the damage in Northridge the epicentral area. Photos show damage to a shopping center, parking garages, and the interior and exterior of apartment buildings.

Northridge, California Earthquake, January 17, 1994, Set 2

On Monday, January 17, 1994, an earthquake occurred that took 57 lives and caused $10 billion in property damage. This slide set includes damaged structures in more distant communities including Sylar, Fillmore, Granada Hills, Reseda, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Chatsworth, Santa Monica, and Los Angeles.

San Fernando Valley California Earthquakes

This slide set compares two earthquakes that were separated by a distance of 10 miles and a time of 23 years. Disproving the notion that once an earthquake has occurred, an area is safe from future earthquakes, these events affected much of the same area and even some of the same structures. These two events were the largest of 17 moderate-sized main shock/aftershock sequences that have occurred in the Los Angeles area since 1920. The 1971 shock is referred to in the scientific literature as the San Fernando earthquake. The 1994 shock (also in the San Fernando Valley) is called the Northridge earthquake. This slide set compares the two earthquakes. The pictures show the same type of damage in some cases, and effects at the same site in other cases.

Great Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake, January 17, 1995

On the morning of January 17, 1995, a major earthquake occurred near the City of Kobe, Japan. The greatest intensity of shaking for the 6.9 magnitude earthquake was in a narrow corridor of two to four kilometers stretching 40 km along the coast of Osaka Bay. The worst destruction ran along the previously undetected fault on the coast, east of Kobe. Kobe's major businesses and port facilities, and residences are located on this strip. This earthquake caused 5,480 deaths, and totally destroyed more than 192,000 houses and buildings. The slide set shows damage in the downtown region and along the waterfront. It illustrates structural types that were vulnerable to failure.

Behavior of Columns During Earthquakes

The behavior of columns in earthquakes is very important since column failures may lead to additional structural failures and result in total building collapses. For example, in the Mexico City earthquake, the most frequent observed cause of structural failure was linked to inadequate beam-to-column and slab-tocolumn connections. Building configurations may cause columns to be over stressed. Columns of unequal length result in unequal load distribution and hence failure. Column construction and underlying soils also are factors in column failures. The slides in this set illustrate these and a variety of other column failure types.

Shikotan, Kuril Islands Earthquake & Tsunami October 4, 1994 Set 1

A magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurred in the southern Kurils and on northern Hokkaido on Tuesday, October 5, 1994, (October 4 at 13:23 GMT). It was a sudden event, without any short- term precursors or foreshocks. The earthquake epicenter was located 80 km east southeast of Shikotan Island. The slides in this set show views of a newly-created landslide formation, ground cracks, structural damage, and effects of tsunami runup on Shikotan Island. The documentation is a scientific overview of this event, written by a member of the international team that studied it.

Shikotan, Kuril Islands Earthquake & Tsunami October 4, 1994 Set 2

The first slide set of Shikotan, Kuril Islands focused on damage caused by the earthquake. This second set, depicts much of the tsunami damage that occurred. At Kuzhno-Kurilsk, Kunsashir Island, tsunami heights ranged from 2.5-3.0 m. In the older part of town (fronted by a gentle beach) all houses were damaged by the wave that penetrated 200-500 m inland. The photos and documentation in this set are from the publication entitled Geodynamics of Tectonosphere of the Pacific Eurasia Conjunction Zone. Russian Academy of Sciences, Far East Branch, Institute of Marine Geology and Geophysics, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, 1997.

El Quindio, Colombia Earthquake, January 25, 1999

The El Quindio earthquake was one of the most destructive natural disasters to have occurred in Colombia in recent years. Long lasting economic and social impacts will continue to be felt in Armenia and other Colombian cities close to the epicenter. The quake turned twenty cities and towns across western parts of the country into a disaster zone, and was felt as far away as Colombia's capital, Bogota, 225 kilometers (140 miles) from the epicenter. The earthquake caused approximately 700 deaths and an additional 2,500 individuals were injured. About 700 buildings were destroyed and 50,000 people were left homeless in Armenia. The three factors that were most responsible for structural damage were presence of faults, infill walls, and "soft" soils.

Papua New Guinea Tsunami, July 17, 1998

On the evening of Friday July 17, 1998, a magnitude Ms 7.1 earthquake occurred near the northwest coast Papua New Guinea 850 km (510 miles ) northwest of Port Moresby, the capitol of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The earthquake, which occurred at 6:49 PM local time, was followed by a series of three catastrophic tsunami waves that devastated the villages of Sissano, Warupu, Arop (1 & 2) and Malol on the north coast of PNG killing at least 2,182, injuring 1,000, and displacing more than 10,000.

Izmit (Kocaeli) Turkey Earthquake, August 17, 1999-Set 1, Coastal Effects

On August 17, 1999, at 3:02 AM local time a magnitude (Mw) 7.4 earthquake occurred on the northern Anatolian fault. The epicenter was located very close to the south shore of the Bay of Izmit, an eastward extension of the Marmara Sea. The location of this earthquake and its proximity to populous region of the Bay of Izmit contributed greatly to its damaging effects. The total estimated loss for port facilities in the region was around $200 million (US). Subsidence and slumping caused much of the coastal damage, but a tsunami was generated that also caused coastal damage and deaths.

Duzce, Turkey Earthquake, November 12, 1999

The magnitude 7.2 quake occurred at 6.57 pm local time (1657 GMT). Duzce lies on the eastern fringe of the region hit by the August 17 quake. Some areas experienced a one-two punch from the 1999 earthquakes. The death toll from the November quake was reported to be 260 people. More than 1,282 were injured and at least 102 buildings were destroyed.

Great Chile Earthquake of May 22, 1960 - Anniversary Edition

On May 22, 1960, a Mw 9.5 earthquake, the largest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded, occurred in southern Chile. The series of earthquakes that followed ravaged southern Chile and ruptured over a period of days a 1,000 km section of the fault, one of the longest ruptures ever reported. The number of fatalities associated with both the tsunami and the earthquake has been estimated to be between 490 and 5,700. Reportedly there were 3,000 injured, and initially there were 717 missing in Chile. The Chilean government estimated 2,000,000 people were left homeless and 58,622 houses were completely destroyed. Damage (including tsunami damage) was more than $500 million U.S. dollars. The main shock setup a series of seismic sea waves (tsunami) that not only was destructive along the coast of Chile, but which also caused numerous casualties and extensive property damage in Hawaii and Japan, and which was noticeable along shorelines throughout the Pacific Ocean area. There were several other geologic phenomena besides tsunamis associated with this event. Subsidence caused by the earthquake produced local flooding and permanently altered the shorelines of much of the area in Chile impacted by the earthquake. Landslides were common on Chilean hillsides. The Puyehue volcano erupted forty-seven hours after the main shock. It is only a matter of time until Chile once again has a "world-class" earthquake whose impact, like the 1960 Chile event, will be felt around the world.

Izmit (Kocaeli) Turkey Earthquake, August 17, 1999-Set 2, Structural Damage

On August 17, 1999, a magnitude Mw 7.4 earthquake occurred along the westernmost North Anatolian fault. The earthquake epicenter was 11 km southeast of the City of Izmit, in the sub-province of Kocaeli, a densely populated area in the industrial heartland of Turkey, and less than 80 km southeast of Istanbul. The earthquake damaged buildings across seven provinces for a distance of 250 km from Istanbul to Bolu. Casualties totaled 17,000 and additional thousands were missing and presumed dead. Injuries numbered 23,984 and an estimated 500,000 people were left homeless with 200,000 living on the streets. Damage estimates range from $10 billion to $40 billion. The fault crossed some of the most densely populated regions of Turkey. The affected population numbered 15 million people. The economics of the damaged region represented ten percent of the GNP of Turkey. This area of Turkey will continue to be active in a seismic sense, and appropriate steps need to be taken now to minimize the effects and fatalities of the next earthquake.

Chi-Chi, Taiwan Earthquake, September 21, 1999

On September 21, 1999, at 1:47 AM local time, a magnitude MW 7.6 earthquake was felt throughout the island of Taiwan. A five county area, including the city of Taichung, experienced the greatest number of casualties and most severe damage. 2,405 deaths and 10,718 injuries were reported. As many as 82,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed, resulting in nearly 600,000 people being temporarily or permanently displaced from their homes.