M 7.9 April 18, 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

New Science and Products

• 1906 Ground Motion Simulations

  

  Simulations of ground shaking from the 1906 earthquake, based on 3D geologic and seismic velocity models developed by the USGS in collaboration with LLNL, UC Berkeley, and Stanford University.

• 115 Years Later: The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake: Overview

  

  This exhibit commemorates the historic 1906 event and it shares a wealth of information, published resources, historic photographs, interviews, and more.

• Virtual Tour of the 1906 Earthquake in Google Earth™

  

  Interactive tour of San Francisco Bay Area faults and earthquake history featuring ground-shaking maps, historic photographs, quotes from earthquake survivors, and more.

• Repeat photography: George Lawrence’s “San Francisco in Ruins”

  

  Photographer George Lawrence documented the damage of the 1906 earthquake by lifting a panoramic camera over the city using a series of kites. The Drachen Foundation arranged for Scott Haefner, USGS, to re-shoot his photo using modern-day kite aerial photography equipment and techniques.

• 1906 ShakeMaps

  

  Earthquake intensity maps based on original shaking and damage reports.

Publications and Documentaries

• 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

  

  Scientific overview of the M 7.9 earthquake that occurred on the San Andreas fault on April 18, 1906.

• Where’s the San Andreas Fault? A Guidebook to Tracing the Fault on Public Lands in the San Francisco Bay Region

  

  A field trip guide to selected stops along the San Andreas fault that experienced surface rupture during the 1906 earthquake. For K-12 teachers, hikers, and interested lay public.

• “SHOCK WAVES: 100 Years after the 1906 Earthquake”

  

  A documentary film that recounts the 1906 disaster and highlights a century of progress in earthquake science from its beginnings just following the 1906 event, through the development of plate tectonics, to state-of-the-art research today.

• Facing the Great Disaster—How the Men and Women of the USGS Responded to the 1906 “San Francisco” Earthquake

  

  Family photos and records help tell the story of how USGS staff stationed in Sacramento and Berkeley swung into action after the 1906 earthquake bringing help to the residents of devastated San Francisco, documenting the effects of the quake, and investigating causes of that major geologic event.

• The 1906 Earthquake and a Century of Progress in Understanding Earthquakes and Their Hazards

  

  Cover story in the April issue of GSA Today, a publication of the Geological Society of America.

• The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, 100 years later

  

  General interest web site from PBS Online NewsHour.

Photos

• Photos depicting damage to infrastructure and ground deformation.

  

  USGS Denver Library Photographic Collection.