The 1992 Big Bear earthquake occurred at on June 28 in
Big Bear Lake, California
Big Bear Lake is a small city in San Bernardino County, California, located in the San Bernardino Mountains along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, and surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. The city is located about 25 miles (40& ...
, with a
moment magnitude
The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mw, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. It was defined in a 1979 pape ...
of 6.5 and a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (''Severe'') on the
Mercalli intensity scale. The earthquake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of .
Earthquake
The Big Bear earthquake happened east of Los Angeles, and 3 hours 26 minutes after the M 7.3
1992 Landers earthquake
The 1992 Landers earthquake occurred on Sunday, June 28 with an epicenter near the town of Landers, California, in San Bernardino County. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent'').
Earthquake ...
occurred 22 miles (35 km) to the east. It was first believed to be an aftershock of the larger event. However, the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
determined that it was a separate, but related, shock. The two events are considered a regional sequence, rather than a main shock and aftershock. They were part of a complex pattern of regional stress adjustment that also led to the
1999 Hector Mine earthquake
The 1999 Hector Mine earthquake occurred in Southern California, United States, on October 16 at 02:46:50 PDT. Its moment magnitude was 7.1 and the earthquake was preceded by 12 foreshocks, the largest of which had a magnitude of 3.8. The event i ...
.
Damage
In the Big Bear area, severe damage was reported. Roughly 2,600 chimneys were destroyed, 20 homes were knocked off their foundations, and many unreinforced masonry structures partially or completely collapsed.
Ruptured gas pipelines and dislodged fuel tanks caused by the tremor sparked fires that destroyed additional structures.
[ The earthquake also caused landslides in the San Bernardino Mountains,][ The Stanfield Cutoff was heavily damaged, and had to be closed for several days for repairs.][
]Marilyn Quayle
Marilyn Tucker Quayle (born July 29, 1949) is an American lawyer and novelist. She is the wife of the 44th vice president of the United States, Dan Quayle, and served as the second lady of the United States from 1989 until 1993.
Early life and e ...
, wife of then-Vice President Dan Quayle
James Danforth Quayle (; born February 4, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, Quayle served as a U.S. ...
, toured the damage in Big Bear.[ In total, approximately 40 percent of structures in the Big Bear area suffered some degree of damage,][ amounting to more than $60 million in losses. 63 injuries were attributed to this earthquake, most of which were minor.
]
See also
* List of earthquakes in California
* List of earthquakes in the United States
References
External links
M 6.3 - 7km SSE of Big Bear City, CA
– United States Geological Survey
*
1992
1992 earthquakes
1992 in California
1992 natural disasters in the United States
Big Bear Lake, California
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