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1957 San Francisco earthquake: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 37°33′26″N 122°43′26″W / 37.5572°N 122.7239°W / 37.5572; -122.7239
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{{Infobox earthquake
{{Infobox earthquake
|name = 1957 San Francisco earthquake
|name = 1957 San Francisco earthquake
|isc-event = 886234
|anss-url = iscgem886234
|image =
|image =
|alt =
|alt =
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{{Location map~|California|lat=38.21|long=-120.94|label=Camanche|label_size=100|mark=Green pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|California|lat=38.21|long=-120.94|label=Camanche|label_size=100|mark=Green pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|California|lat=37.26|long=-121.0|label=Gustine|label_size=100|mark=Green pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|California|lat=37.26|long=-121.0|label=Gustine|label_size=100|mark=Green pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|California|lat=36.57|long=-121.52|label=Chualar|label_size=100|mark=Green pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|California|lat=36.57|long=-121.52|label=Chualar|position=bottom|label_size=100|mark=Green pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|California|lat=37.56|long=-122.73|mark=Bullseye1.png|marksize=40}}
{{Location map~|California|lat=37.56|long=-122.73|mark=Bullseye1.png|marksize=40}}
|position = top
|position = top
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|float = right
|float = right
|caption = }}
|caption = }}
|date = {{Start date|1957|3|22|mf=y}}
|timestamp = 1957-03-22 19:44:22
|local-date = {{Start date|1957|3|22|mf=y}}
|time = {{tooltip|19:44:22 UTC|11:44:22 local time}} <ref name=ISC-GEM/>
|local-time = 11:44:22 PST<ref name=ISC-GEM/>
|duration =
|duration =
|magnitude = 5.7 [[Moment magnitude scale|M<sub>w</sub>]] <ref name=ISC-GEM/>
|magnitude = 5.7 [[Moment magnitude scale|M<sub>w</sub>]]<ref name=ISC-GEM/>
|depth = {{convert|15|km|mi|abbr=on}} <ref name=ISC-GEM/>
|depth = {{convert|15|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref name=ISC-GEM/>
|location = {{coord|37.56|-122.73|region:US|display=inline, title}} <ref name=ISC-GEM/>
|location = {{coord|37.5572|-122.7239|type:event_region:US|display=inline, title}}<ref name=ISC-GEM/>
|type = [[Fault (geology)#Oblique-slip faults|Oblique-slip]]
|type = [[Fault (geology)#Oblique-slip faults|Oblique-slip]]
|affected = [[San Francisco Bay Area]] <br> [[Northern California]] <br> United States
|affected = [[San Francisco Bay Area]] <br> [[Northern California]] <br> United States
|damages = $1 million <ref name=Stover/>
|damage = $1 million<ref name=Stover/>
|intensity = [[Mercalli intensity scale|VII (''Very strong'')]] <ref name=Stover/>
|intensity = {{MMI|VII}}<ref name=Stover/>
|pga = 0.18''[[Peak ground acceleration|g]]'' <ref name=Cloud/>
|pga = 0.18 ''[[Peak ground acceleration|g]]''<ref name=Cloud/>
|tsunami =
|tsunami =
|landslide = Yes <ref name=Tocher/>
|landslide = Yes<ref name=Tocher/>
|foreshocks =
|foreshocks =
|aftershocks =
|aftershocks =
|casualties = 1 dead, 40 injured <ref name=Stover/>
|casualties = 1 dead, 40 injured<ref name=Stover/>
}}
}}


The '''1957 San Francisco earthquake''' (also known as the '''Daly City earthquake of 1957''') occurred on March 22 at {{tooltip|11:44:22 local time|19:44:22 UTC}} with a [[Moment magnitude scale|moment magnitude]] of 5.7 and a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli Intensity]] of VII (''Very strong''). It was located just off the [[San Francisco Peninsula]] near the [[San Andreas Fault]] and was felt in a limited portion of [[Northern California|Northern]] and [[Central California]]. There was a non-destructive foreshock and aftershock sequence that lasted for several months. With financial losses of around [[United States dollar|US$]]1 million, damage was considered minimal, with one death and forty injuries.
The '''1957 San Francisco earthquake''' (also known as the '''Daly City earthquake of 1957''') occurred on March 22 at 11:44:22 local time with a [[Moment magnitude scale|moment magnitude]] of 5.7 and a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli Intensity]] of VII (''Very strong''). It was located just off the [[San Francisco Peninsula]] near the [[San Andreas Fault]] and was felt in a limited portion of [[Northern California|Northern]] and [[Central California]]. There was a non-destructive foreshock and aftershock sequence that lasted for several months. With financial losses of around [[United States dollar|US$]]1 million, damage was considered minimal, with one death and forty injuries.


==Tectonic setting==
==Tectonic setting==
The San Andreas Fault is a northwest-[[Strike and dip|striking]] [[transform fault]] that accommodates motion between the Pacific and North American Plates. The [[Mendocino Triple Junction]] is an area of high seismicity, and marks its northern extremity at the [[Gorda Plate]], which is subducting beneath the North American Plate. Three moderate events in the San Francisco Bay Area occurred on or near the San Andreas Fault in the early nineteenth-century.<ref>{{citation|title=Active Faults of the World|last=Yeats|first=R.|date=2012|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=978-0521190855|pages=81, 83}}</ref>
The San Andreas Fault System (SAFS) is a collection of faults that accommodates differential motion between the Pacific and North American Plates and extends from the [[Mendocino Triple Junction]] in the north to the [[Salton Sea]] in the south. While the majority of movement occurs as right-lateral strike-slip on the significant branches of the system, including the [[San Jacinto Fault Zone|San Jacinto]] and [[Hayward Fault Zone|Hayward]] faults that are relatively near the main San Andreas Fault, other types of faults (including left-lateral strike-slip, reverse, thrust, and to a lesser extent, normal) are also present. These various fault types have been observed well east into the [[Basin and Range Province]].<ref>{{citation|title=The San Andreas Fault System, California – USGS Professional Paper 1515|chapter-url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1990/1515/|chapter=General Features|first=R. E.|last=Wallace|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|year=1990|isbn=978-0607716269|pages=3–8}}</ref>
<!-- ==Foreshocks==
.<ref>{{citation|last=Brazee|first=R. J.|last2=Cloud|first2=W. K.|title=United States earthquakes, 1957|publisher=US Geological Survey|year=1984|issn=2331-1258|doi=10.3133/ofr84957}}</ref> -->


==Earthquake==
==Earthquake==
Eight foreshocks (with a maximum magnitude of 3.8) preceded the main event. The first motion method was used to determine the focal mechanism of the mainshock. It was found to be dissimilar from the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]], and instead showed oblique movement on a steeply-dipping thrust fault, with the eastern side of the fault rising relative to the western side. The strike-slip component was minimal; only about half as much as the thrust component.<ref name=Tocher>{{citation|title=San Francisco earthquakes of March 1957|chapter=Seismographic Results from the 1957 San Francisco Earthquakes|url=https://archive.org/details/sanfranciscoeart57oake|first=D.|last=Tocher|date=1959|series=Special Report 57|publisher=[[California Geological Survey|California Division of Mines]]|pages=61, 65, 70, 71}}</ref>
Eight foreshocks (with a maximum magnitude of 3.8) preceded the main event. The first motion method was used to determine the focal mechanism of the mainshock. It was found to be dissimilar from the strike-slip movement of the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]], and instead showed oblique movement on a steeply-dipping thrust fault, with the eastern side of the fault rising relative to the western side. The strike-slip component was minimal and was only about half as much as the thrust component.<ref name=Tocher>{{citation|title=San Francisco earthquakes of March 1957|chapter=Seismographic Results from the 1957 San Francisco Earthquakes|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/sanfranciscoeart57oake|first=D.|last=Tocher|year=1959|series=Special Report 57|publisher=[[California Geological Survey|California Division of Mines]]|pages=61, 65, 70, 71}}</ref>


===Damage===
===Damage===
Damage was non-structural and was limited to content within buildings and cracked plaster and was estimated at $1 million, not including loss to building content. The most significant effects were seen in the western portion of [[Daly City, California|Daly City]] and in the [[Lake Merced]] area of San Francisco. The minimal losses were attributed to the short duration and lack of high intensity shaking.<ref>{{citation|title=San Francisco earthquakes of March 1957|chapter=Damage to Buildings and Other Structures During the San Francisco Earthquake of March 22, 1957|url=https://archive.org/details/sanfranciscoeart57oake|first=K. V.|last=Steinbrugge|first2=V. R.|last2=Bush|first3=E. G.|last3=Zacher|date=1959|series=Special Report 57|publisher=[[California Geological Survey|California Division of Mines]]|pages=75, 76}}</ref>
Damage was non-structural and was limited to content within buildings and cracked plaster and was estimated at $1 million, not including loss to building content. The most significant effects were seen in the western portion of [[Daly City, California|Daly City]] and in the [[Lake Merced]] area of San Francisco. The minimal losses were attributed to the short duration and lack of high intensity shaking.<ref>{{citation|title=San Francisco earthquakes of March 1957|chapter=Damage to Buildings and Other Structures During the San Francisco Earthquake of March 22, 1957|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/sanfranciscoeart57oake|first1=K. V.|last1=Steinbrugge|first2=V. R.|last2=Bush|first3=E. G.|last3=Zacher|year=1959|series=Special Report 57|publisher=[[California Geological Survey|California Division of Mines]]|pages=75, 76}}</ref>


===Strong motion===
===Strong motion===
The event was felt over an area of 12,000 square miles. Its scientific value was reinforced because it was captured on 13 strong motion instruments. A maximum (free field) peak ground acceleration of 0.13''[[Peak ground acceleration|g]]'' was recorded in [[Golden Gate Park]] and .18''g'' was recorded on the fourteenth floor of a building in San Francisco.<ref name=Cloud>{{citation|title=San Francisco earthquakes of March 1957|chapter=Intensity and Ground Motion of the San Francisco Earthquake of March 22, 1957|url=https://archive.org/details/sanfranciscoeart57oake|first=W. K.|last=Cloud|date=1959|series=Special Report 57|publisher=[[California Geological Survey|California Division of Mines]]|pages=51, 52}}</ref>{{clear}}
The event was felt over an area of 12,000 square miles. Its scientific value was reinforced because it was captured on 13 strong motion instruments. A maximum (free field) peak ground acceleration of 0.13 ''[[Peak ground acceleration|g]]'' was recorded in [[Golden Gate Park]] and .18 ''g'' was recorded on the fourteenth floor of a building in San Francisco.<ref name=Cloud>{{citation|title=San Francisco earthquakes of March 1957|chapter=Intensity and Ground Motion of the San Francisco Earthquake of March 22, 1957|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/sanfranciscoeart57oake|first=W. K.|last=Cloud|year=1959|series=Special Report 57|publisher=[[California Geological Survey|California Division of Mines]]|pages=51, 52}}</ref>{{clear}}


==See also==
==See also==
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=ISC-GEM>{{citation|title=ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009)|url=http://www.isc.ac.uk/iscgem/index.php|author=ISC|year=2015|publisher=[[International Seismological Centre]]|series=Version 2.0}}</ref>
<ref name=ISC-GEM>{{citation|title=ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009)|url=http://www.isc.ac.uk/iscgem/index.php|author=ISC|year=2015|publisher=[[International Seismological Centre]]|series=Version 2.0}}</ref>
<ref name=Stover>{{citation|last1=Stover|first1=C. W.|last2=Coffman|first2=J. L.|title=Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised)|series=U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bY0KAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=seismicity+of+the+united+states&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wOqeUIjiI4XBiwKVvIHYDg&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false|year=1993|publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office]]|pages=88, 150}}</ref>
<ref name=Stover>{{citation|last1=Stover|first1=C. W.|last2=Coffman|first2=J. L.|title=Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised)|series=U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bY0KAQAAIAAJ|year=1993|publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office]]|pages=88, 150}}</ref>
}}
}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/iscgem886234#general_summary M 5.7 - offshore Northern California] – [[United States Geological Survey]]
* [https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/iscgem886234#general_summary M 5.7 offshore Northern California] – [[United States Geological Survey]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151127105056/http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/1957eq.html The Daly City Earthquake of 1957: What Does it Tell Us?] – [[San Francisco Museum and Historical Society]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151127105056/http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/1957eq.html The Daly City Earthquake of 1957: What Does it Tell Us?] – [[San Francisco Historical Society]]
* {{EQ-isc-link|886234}}


{{Earthquakes in 1957}}
{{Earthquakes in 1957}}
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[[Category:Earthquakes in California]]
[[Category:Earthquakes in California]]
[[Category:1957 earthquakes]]
[[Category:1957 earthquakes]]
[[Category:March 1957 events in the United States]]
[[Category:History of the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:History of the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:1957 in California]]
[[Category:1957 in California]]

Revision as of 23:11, 30 October 2023

1957 San Francisco earthquake
1957 San Francisco earthquake is located in California
Albion
Albion
Knights Landing
Knights Landing
Camanche
Camanche
Gustine
Gustine
Chualar
Chualar
1957 San Francisco earthquake
UTC time1957-03-22 19:44:22
ISC event886234
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateMarch 22, 1957 (1957-03-22)
Local time11:44:22 PST[1]
Magnitude5.7 Mw[1]
Depth15 km (9.3 mi)[1]
Epicenter37°33′26″N 122°43′26″W / 37.5572°N 122.7239°W / 37.5572; -122.7239[1]
TypeOblique-slip
Areas affectedSan Francisco Bay Area
Northern California
United States
Total damage$1 million[2]
Max. intensityMMI VII (Very strong)[2]
Peak acceleration0.18 g[3]
LandslidesYes[4]
Casualties1 dead, 40 injured[2]

The 1957 San Francisco earthquake (also known as the Daly City earthquake of 1957) occurred on March 22 at 11:44:22 local time with a moment magnitude of 5.7 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VII (Very strong). It was located just off the San Francisco Peninsula near the San Andreas Fault and was felt in a limited portion of Northern and Central California. There was a non-destructive foreshock and aftershock sequence that lasted for several months. With financial losses of around US$1 million, damage was considered minimal, with one death and forty injuries.

Tectonic setting

The San Andreas Fault System (SAFS) is a collection of faults that accommodates differential motion between the Pacific and North American Plates and extends from the Mendocino Triple Junction in the north to the Salton Sea in the south. While the majority of movement occurs as right-lateral strike-slip on the significant branches of the system, including the San Jacinto and Hayward faults that are relatively near the main San Andreas Fault, other types of faults (including left-lateral strike-slip, reverse, thrust, and to a lesser extent, normal) are also present. These various fault types have been observed well east into the Basin and Range Province.[5]

Earthquake

Eight foreshocks (with a maximum magnitude of 3.8) preceded the main event. The first motion method was used to determine the focal mechanism of the mainshock. It was found to be dissimilar from the strike-slip movement of the 1906 earthquake, and instead showed oblique movement on a steeply-dipping thrust fault, with the eastern side of the fault rising relative to the western side. The strike-slip component was minimal and was only about half as much as the thrust component.[4]

Damage

Damage was non-structural and was limited to content within buildings and cracked plaster and was estimated at $1 million, not including loss to building content. The most significant effects were seen in the western portion of Daly City and in the Lake Merced area of San Francisco. The minimal losses were attributed to the short duration and lack of high intensity shaking.[6]

Strong motion

The event was felt over an area of 12,000 square miles. Its scientific value was reinforced because it was captured on 13 strong motion instruments. A maximum (free field) peak ground acceleration of 0.13 g was recorded in Golden Gate Park and .18 g was recorded on the fourteenth floor of a building in San Francisco.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d ISC (2015), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009), Version 2.0, International Seismological Centre
  2. ^ a b c Stover, C. W.; Coffman, J. L. (1993), Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised), U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, pp. 88, 150
  3. ^ a b Cloud, W. K. (1959), "Intensity and Ground Motion of the San Francisco Earthquake of March 22, 1957", San Francisco earthquakes of March 1957, Special Report 57, California Division of Mines, pp. 51, 52
  4. ^ a b Tocher, D. (1959), "Seismographic Results from the 1957 San Francisco Earthquakes", San Francisco earthquakes of March 1957, Special Report 57, California Division of Mines, pp. 61, 65, 70, 71
  5. ^ Wallace, R. E. (1990), "General Features", The San Andreas Fault System, California – USGS Professional Paper 1515, United States Geological Survey, pp. 3–8, ISBN 978-0607716269
  6. ^ Steinbrugge, K. V.; Bush, V. R.; Zacher, E. G. (1959), "Damage to Buildings and Other Structures During the San Francisco Earthquake of March 22, 1957", San Francisco earthquakes of March 1957, Special Report 57, California Division of Mines, pp. 75, 76