By: Tanya Chang and Tori Schubert
Sports Editor and People Editor
On Apr. 2, a 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck the Bay Area at around 1:40 AM, consisting of 30 seconds of movement. It originated four miles from Brookdale, California, with the epicenter located in the Santa Cruz mountains near Boulder Creek. The earthquake impacted citizens from Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and others throughout the bay.
Bay Area residents were shocked as this location has not experienced an earthquake over the magnitude of 4.5 for over 30 years. In 1906 disruption in the San Andreas fault triggered the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in San Francisco. The earthquake caused 80% destruction to the city, leading to over 3,000 deaths, and countless fires across neighborhoods. While rescue teams were able to report 415 injured individuals, many bodies were left undiscovered. The Loma Prieta Earthquake struck in 1989 with a magnitude of 6.9. This led to 63 deaths and 3,757 injuries after 15 seconds of shaking. These two disturbing events were the last major earthquakes to have lasting impacts on Bay Area citizens until the most recent incident.
The earthquake woke people across the bay, causing destruction to homes and businesses. With over 30,000 reports to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the event led to a variety of damages. Karen Simonsen, the owner of a Boulder Creek drugstore, said that the earthquake was not as significant as the 1989 event, but definitely violent enough to wake her up. However, other residents of the area considered this the largest earthquake they have felt; some experienced more than just items falling off shelves, including severe infrastructure damage. Richard Rohrbough, owner of a home on China Grade Road near Boulder Creek, reported, “It shook real bad. It was very scary. You know, a lot of things fell off the shelves. On the road down here, there were two different landslides. Big boulders rolled right down in the road.” The aftermath of this event – while not as severe as in the past – varied from town to town and left a lasting impact on those who experienced it.
Looking forward, the USGS predicts that the next largest earthquake could be before 2032, with an expected magnitude of over 6.7. However this predicted rate cannot be used to apply to all of California, as Earthquakesafety.com noted, “The new study determined the probabilities that different parts of California will experience earthquake ruptures of various magnitudes.” This data reinforces the risk of future earthquakes, allowing people to start preparing safety plans in advance. Although earthquakes don’t always pose a large threat to everyone in our area, with the documented information, we can predict future patterns and help prevent vast destruction to communities such as our own.
(Sources: Earthquakesaftey.com NBC, KQED, USGS)