Today in Earthquake History

On June 28th...

• M7.3 - Yucca Valley, California, 1992

  11:57:34: One person was killed at Yucca Valley, two people died of heart attacks, more than 400 people were injured and substantial damage occurred in the Landers-Yucca Valley area. Maximum intensity IX. Preliminary estimate of damage for this earthquake plus the following magnitude 6.7 event at 1505 UTC is 92 million U.S. dollars. Felt throughout southern California, southern Nevada, western Arizona and southern Utah. Felt in high-rise buildings as far north as Boise, Idaho and as far east as Albuquerque, New Mexico and Denver, Colorado. Surface faulting observed along a 70-kilometer segment from Joshua Tree to near Barstow with as much as 5.5 meters of horizontal displacement and as much as 1.8 meters of vertical displacement. Seiches were reported as far north as Lake Union, Washington and as far east as Aurora, Colorado and Corpus Christi, Texas.

• M6.3 - Big Bear, California, 1992

  15:05:30: Some people injured, substantial damage and landslides in the Big Bear Lake and Big Bear City areas. Maximum intensity VIII. Felt throughout much of southern California and in parts of southern Nevada and western Arizona.

• M7.3 - Near West Coast of Honshu, Japan, 1948

  3,769 deaths. One of the world's deadliest earthquakes. Nearly 67,000 houses destroyed in the Fukui area by the earthquake and fires. Damage was especially severe in areas of alluvium. Some ground fissures were observed in the area. It was felt from Ibaraki and Niigata Prefectures, Honshu to Uwajima, Shikoku. More than 550 aftershocks were felt in the month following the quake. Some sources list the death toll as high as 5,390.