M 6.4 - The 1954 San Jacinto Fault, California Earthquake

Minor damage was reported at several towns in the area included fallen plaster from walls, broken windows and dishes, broken water pipes, cracked swimming pools, and damaged stock in stores. The main shock was felt over a large area of southern California and parts of western Arizona and southwestern Nevada. Of the many aftershocks that were located, the largest occurred on March 19 at 10:21 UTC. (Ref. 27, 259, 292, 521.)

Maximum observed Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) VI

Abridged from Seismicity of the United States, 1568-1989 (Revised), by Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1993.

This earthquake, sometimes referred to as the Arroyo Salada earthquake, caused minor damage over a wide area of southern California, cracking plaster walls as far away as San Diego, and knocking plaster from the ceiling at the Los Angeles City Hall. A water pipe was broken at Palm Springs and there was a temporary power outage in part of San Bernardino when power lines snapped due to the shaking. It was felt as far west as Ventura County and it was also felt in parts of Baja California, Mexico.

Abridged from The 1954 San Jacinto Fault Earthquake, SCEDC (2013), Southern California Earthquake Center, California Institute of Technology, on-line at https://scedc.caltech.edu/earthquake/chronological.html, retrieved 26 Feb 2024.