Which earthquake struck northern California on 17 October 1989?
Answer
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake struck northern California on 17 October 1989.
The magnitude-6.9 earthquake occurred in the Santa Cruz Mountains during the evening rush hour. It was named after Loma Prieta Peak, near the epicentre. Strong shaking damaged communities across the San Francisco Bay Area, even though the epicentre was south of the major urban centres.
The earthquake killed 63 people and injured thousands. A section of the Cypress Street Viaduct in Oakland collapsed, and the upper deck of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge also failed. The event was broadcast worldwide because it interrupted the third game of the 1989 World Series at Candlestick Park.
The earthquake did not rupture the main San Andreas Fault at the surface in the way many people expected. It occurred on a nearby section of the fault system, illustrating that damaging earthquakes can affect regions beyond a fault’s most famous landmarks.