Portal:Disasters/Selected picture/November 2006

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck at 5:12am on Wednesday, April 18, 1906 with a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.8. The mainshock epicenter occurred offshore about 2 miles from the city along the San Andreas Fault. The earthquake and resulting fire would be remembered as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States. This panorama of the city was taken in May 1906 by the Lawrence Captive Airship, 2000 feet (606 m) above San Francisco Bay overlooking the waterfront with sunset over the Golden Gate.

Photo credit: George R. Lawrence Co.