Today in Earthquake History

On February 28th...

• M6.8 - Washington, 2001

  About 400 people injured and major damage in the Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia area. Maximum intensity (VIII) in the Capitol Hill area of Olympia and in the Pioneer Square area south of downtown Seattle. Preliminary estimates of damage are between 1 and 4 billion U.S. dollars. Felt from central Oregon to southern British Columbia and as far east as northwestern Montana. The maximum recorded acceleration was 0.3g at Seward Park. Landslides occurred in the Tacoma area and near Renton. Liquefaction and sand blows occurred in parts of Olympia and South Seattle.

• M6.1 - Northwestern Iran, 1997

  At least 965 people killed, 2,600 injured, 36,000 homeless, 12,000 houses damaged or destroyed and 160,000 livestock killed in the Ardabil area of northwestern Iran. Severe damage to roads, electrical power lines, communications and water distribution systems in the Ardabil area.

• M5.7 - Southern California, 1990

  Thirty people received minor injuries and damage was estimated to be at least 12.7 million dollars. Some damage (VII) at Claremont, Covina, La Verne, Montclair, Mount Baldy, Ontario, Pomona, San Dimas, Upland and Walnut. Slight damage (VI) at Arcadia, Azusa, Chino, Colton, Compton, Glendora, Lincoln Heights, Lytle Creek, Pico Rivera and West Covina. Felt from Santa Barbara to Ensenada, Mexico and northeast as far as Las Vegas, Nevada.

• M7.5 - St. Elias, Alaska, 1979

  Slight damage in the Valdez-Yakutat and Juneau-Haines areas, Alaska and in the Kluane-Beaver Creek area, Yukon Territory. Maximum intensity VII at Icy Bay Lumber Camp, Alaska. Felt over an area of about 500,000 square kilometers of Alaska, Yukon Territory, and northern British Columbia. 30 centimeter tsunami reported at Yakutat.
  One of the Largest Earthquakes in the United States.

• M3.8 - New Jersey, 1973

  This earthquake was centered near the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border, south of Chester, Pennsylvania. It was felt widely in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. Several reports were received of it being felt in parts of New York, Connecticut, and Virginia. The shock occurred at 3:21 a.m. EST, waking thousands of people but causing only slight damage. Many residents thought they were having furnace trouble or that an intruder was trying to open a door. Philadelphia police reported 1,829 telephone inquiries in 40 minutes. Damage was limited to cracked plaster and cinder blocks in a few places.
  From Earthquake Information Bulletin, Volume 5, Number 2.

• M7.8 - Portugal-Morocco Area, 1969

  Located west of Portugal, the shock killed 13 people (two in Portugal and eleven in Morocco) and injured scores. It was felt as far as 1,300 kilometers from the epicenter - from Bordeaux, France, to the Canary Islands. There was only light damage to modern structures, and because of its distance from populated centers, overall property damage was moderate.
  From Significant Earthquakes of the World 1969 and Earthquake Information Bulletin, Volume 2, Number 1.