Seismology: The Northridge Earthquake and Its Aftershocks

Abstract

A strong earthquake shook the Los Angeles region on January 17, 1994, at 4:30 am Pacific Standard Time (12:30 UT). The earthquake occurred beneath Northridge, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley, 30 km northwest of Los Angeles (see map on next page). With a moment magnitude of 6.7, the Northridge earthquake was the strongest earthquake to strike the Los Angeles area since the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, which also had a magnitude of 6.7. The Northridge earthquake produced extremely strong ground shaking, which caused the greatest damage in the United States since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

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