While Californians ran for cover at the 7.0-magnitude event an earthquake which hit the northern region on Thursday, America has endured the most powerful earthquakes in its history.
The largest earthquake ever to hit the continental US struck the Cascadia Subduction Zone – a fault line Pacific Ocean Northwest Pacific—on January 26, 1700.
The earthquake, estimated to have a magnitude between 8.7 and 9.2, triggered a tsunami that hit the west coast of North America and reached the coast. Japan.
The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning for the west coast after Thursday’s earthquake, but the warning has been canceled.
When the California earthquake broke the waterbroken windows, and knocking out power to more than 10,000 residents, pales in comparison to most earthquakes in American history.
Accounts written by Native American tribes on the coast of Vancouver Island in the 1700s describe an earthquake and tsunami that destroyed entire low-lying villages.
The only survivors were those who lived about 75 meters above the water.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California on Thursday, with the quake occurring in Humboldt County, but California and the rest of the US have seen major earthquakes.
The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning for the west coast after Thursday’s earthquake, but it was canceled.
Another devastating earthquake occurred 115 years after the 1700 Cascadia earthquake when the New Madrid Fault Zone unleashed its fury in the Midwest.
The fault line stretches for 150 miles, crossing parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
In 1811 and 1812, it produced three powerful earthquakes—weighing between 7.5 and 7.7—that shook the central Mississippi Valley.
Historical records indicate that between 100 and 500 people lost their lives within a year.
As California assesses the damage from Thursday’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the state experienced a 7.9 event centuries ago: the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake.
Fort Tejon, California, a former US Army post that was active intermittently between 1854 and 1864, was busy at the time of the earthquake.
The violent shock lasted for one to three minutes, destroying many properties.
Two buildings were declared unsafe, while three others were severely damaged but still considered habitable. Several others were slightly damaged.
One person has died after a mud house collapsed near Gorman.
The earthquake measured between 8.7 and 9.2 and triggered a tsunami that hit the west coast of North America and the coast of Japan (photo)
The largest earthquake in US history occurred in Charleston, South Carolina – this photo shows the devastating damage caused.
The earthquake affected the entire region, including densely populated cities such as Los Angeles.
In downtown Los Angeles, strong tremors were recorded, knocking down buildings and other buildings. However, no major damage was reported.
One Los Angeles resident, an elderly man, may have fainted and died as a result of the earthquake, although the report has not been officially confirmed.
Two years later, the Oregon-California earthquake of 1873 occurred.
The 7.3-magnitude earthquake ripped through the road between Crescent City and Gasquet, knocking down all the chimneys in the area.
The largest East Coast earthquake in recorded history occurred in 1886, when a 7.3-magnitude earthquake destroyed Charleston, South Carolina.
In 1964, another 9.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in Anchorage, Alaska. This event is known as the Great Alaskan Earthquake
The earthquake killed 60 people and destroyed nearly every building in the city, with further damage reaching central Ohio.
The financial risk was about $5 to $6 million at that time, which is about $2 billion today.
More than 100 years later, in 1964, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake occurred. struck Anchorage, Alaska, known as the Great Alaskan Earthquake.
The earthquake is the second most powerful earthquake to have ever occurred in the world.
The earthquake struck between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, and the eruption occurred near College Fjord in Prince William Sound.
The powerful tremor lasted for more than four minutes, triggering several tsunamis and causing extensive damage to property and infrastructure.
Anchorage suffered extensive damage to buildings, structures, paved roads, roads, water and sewer lines, utilities and other facilities.
Total damage is estimated at more than $45 million, and more than 131 people have died in south-central Alaska from landslides, collapsed buildings and the tsunami.
Alaska often endures large earthquakes due to the defeat of the Pacific plate under Alaska, which occurs when the Pacific plate moves under the North American plate at a rate of two to three inches per year.
