![]() The ground had clearly shifted in opposite directions along a visible seam, and not just at the epicenter of the earthquake near San Francisco.Buildings on soft ground sustained more damage than those built on bedrock.Two of the Lawson Report’s observations would prove especially significant: ![]() Its findings would be published in a 1908 report named for the team’s leader, geologist A.C. By 1906, well-established universities and observatories contributed more than 20 earth scientists to California’s inquiry into the event, known as the State Earthquake Investigation Commission. Beginning in the mid-1700s, after an earthquake in Portugal, observation of seismic activity became more objective and systematic. But by the early 20 th century, the empirical study of earthquakes and other natural phenomena had made important progress. Inquiry: The Lawson Report of 1908Īfter a natural disaster, people naturally ask: Why did this happen, and how? For most of history, answers to questions like these would have been purely speculative. Image in public domain via US Geological Survey. Seismogram of 1906 California earthquake, as recorded at the University of Gottingen, 9100 km away. ![]() Its impact was recorded as far away as the University of Gottingen in Germany, as shown here: The recently invented seismograph provided a valuable record of how the earthquake’s energy dispersed across Earth. Guernsey and in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons.īeyond its horrific human cost, “the earthquake confounded contemporary geologists with its large, horizontal displacements and great rupture length,” notes the US Geological Survey. and in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Panoramic images show the devastation of San Francisco during and after the earthquake and subsequent fires. Panoramic images show the effects of the tremor and subsequent fires on San Francisco, then a city of 400,000 the largest in the Western United States. The 1906 earthquake was certainly not the first seismic event to strike a busy urban area, but it was effectively the first to be photographed and otherwise witnessed by the entire world. Experience: The California Earthquake of 1906 Let’s explore some of the layers of historical experience, inquiry, and theory that support our understanding of Earth’s seismic activity. And by enabling us to better prepare for future seismic events, past experience led to something positive for the present and future.Ī computational model showing the propagation of seismic waves through Earth. On this foundational understanding, we can build credible models for simulating seismic activity. ![]() Since 1906, the feedback loop of experience, inquiry, and theory has helped put modern seismology on a sound scientific foundation. In this light, we see how even a tragic experience can be valuable - if we can learn from it. ![]() This theory was a crucial step forward in our modern ability to predict and prepare for earthquakes. The earthquake spurred novel inquiry and analyses, which led to a new conception of seismic activity: the elastic rebound theory of Harry Fielding Reid. On April 18, 1906, a massive earthquake struck Northern California, killing an estimated 3000 people, leaving more than 200,000 people homeless, and sparking fires that leveled most buildings in San Francisco and other cities across the region. ![]()
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