2010 Eureka earthquake

2010 Eureka earthquake

Date 16:27:38, January 9, 2010 (2010-01-09T16:27:38)
Magnitude 6.5 Mw
Depth 13.5 miles (21.7 km)
Countries or regions  United States
(Northern California, Central Oregon, Washoe County, Nevada)[1]
Aftershocks ~24[2]
Casualties 35 Injuries

The 2010 Eureka earthquake occurred on January 9, 2010 at 4:27:38 p.m. PST offshore of Humboldt County, California, United States. The magnitude was measured as 6.5 Mw, and its epicenter was located offshore in the Pacific Ocean 33 miles (53 km) west of the nearest major city, Eureka.[2][1][3][4][5] Additionally, there was a separate earthquake further offshore of Eureka on February 4, its magnitude was slightly less, at 5.9.[6] It was also the most significant earthquake in the Eureka area in terms of magnitude since an earthquake in 1992.[7] It was the largest earthquake in California in over a decade, since the Hector Mine Earthquake (7.1) of 1999. [8]

Contents

Impact

Structural damage was inflicted among older Victorian houses, power was severed for several hours, and windows were shattered. In addition, 28,000 customers of Pacific Gas and Electric Co., mostly from Humboldt County, were left without electricity and phone services as a result.[3]

In Eureka, the Old Town Bar and Grill building was previously believed to be severely damaged beyond repair and ordered demolished by the city, until a developer purchased and renovated it in 2011.[9] The town's high school, known as Eureka High School, and the Bayshore Mall were damaged and briefly closed, although both later reopened with close to full services. An auditorium at Eureka High remained closed over concerns regarding its structural safety as of June 15, 2010.[10] A total of 463 buildings sustained damage as a result of the earthquake, leaving roughly $43 million in losses.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Garofoli, Joe (January 9, 2010). "6.5 quake rocks Humboldt County". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/09/BALS1BG3RV.DTL&tsp=1. Retrieved January 9, 2010. 
  2. ^ a b "Magnitude 6.5 earthquake rattles Eureka in Northern California". Los Angeles Times. January 9, 2010. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-eureka-quake10-2010jan10,0,4204701.story. Retrieved January 9, 2010. 
  3. ^ a b Valencia, Nick (January 9, 2010). "6.5 earthquake strikes off California coast". CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/01/09/california.earthquake/index.html. Retrieved January 9, 2010. 
  4. ^ "Magnitude 6.5 - OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA". United States Geological Survey. January 9, 2010. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/nc71338066.php. 
  5. ^ "Strong Magnitude 6.5 Quake Rattles Northern California". All Headline News. January 9, 2010. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7017475949?Strong%20Magnitude%206.5%20Earthquake%20Rattles%20Northern%20Calinfornia. 
  6. ^ "2nd Strong Quake In Month Hits Off N. Calif. Coast". CBS Broadcasting Inc.. http://cbs2.com/quake/Earthquake.Quake.Northern.2.1470812.html. Retrieved 4 March 2010. 
  7. ^ USGS. "Cape Mendocino, California Earthquakes". http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1992_04_25_26.php. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
  8. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template%3ASignificant_earthquakes_in_California
  9. ^ Tam, Donna (January 09, 2011). "Saving a piece of history: Eureka's Old Town Bar and Grill building expected to be completed by end of the year". The Times-Standard. http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_17049428. 
  10. ^ http://www.times-standard.com/ci_14173574
  11. ^ http://www.aon.com/attachments/reinsurance/201002_ab_if_monthly_cat_report_Jan_2010.pdf

External links

Significant California earthquakes
Very Large
(7.0 or greater)
Large
(6.0-6.9)

1868 Hayward (6.8) · 1933 Long Beach (6.4) · 1971 San Fernando (6.6) · 1983 Coalinga (6.5) · 1984 Morgan Hill (6.2) · 1986 Chalfant Valley (6.2) · 1989 Loma Prieta (6.9) · 1992 Big Bear (6.4) · 1994 Northridge (6.7) · 2003 San Simeon (6.5) · 2004 Parkfield (6.0) · 2010 Eureka (6.5)
Moderate
(less than 6.0)