Two of California's largest earthquakes hit the same morning

Randi MannDigital Reporter
Published on Jun. 28, 2021, 8:40 AM
Updated on Jun. 28, 2023, 8:32 AM

On this day in weather history, California was hit by two massive earthquakes.

This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.

--

On Sunday, June 28, 1992, California was hit by two earthquakes, two of the strongest in state history.

The first, known as the 1992 Landers earthquake, struck at 4:57 a.m. PDT and was felt by most of Southern California. The 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook the area for two to three minutes.

Although the earthquake was extremely powerful, most of the severe impacts occurred in the sparsely-inhabited Mojave Desert. Because of this, the casualties and damage weren't as extensive as the 1994 Northridge earthquake that hit just over 19 months later.

Landers quake bowling alley

"Damage to the Yucca Lanes Bowling Center from the 1992 quake." Courtesy of Wikipedia

Content continues below

The surface fracture was 70 km long. The earthquake caused $92 million worth of damage. During the event, two people died from heart attacks. A three-year-old boy also died when a chimney collapsed into the room where he was sleeping. An additional 400 people were injured.

Not long after, at 08:05 PDT, another earthquake hit the state. The 1992 Big Bear Earthquake also shook Southern California.

The 6.5 magnitude quake hit Big Bear Lake just east of Los Angeles. The earthquakes occurred 35 km from each other.

At first, people thought that the Big Bear earthquake was an aftershock of the Landers quake, but the United States Geological Survey concluded it was a separate event (but related).

The two earthquakes were part of a regional stress adjustment.

The Big Bear quake destroyed around 2,600 chimneys and knocked approximately 20 homes off their foundations. The quake caused landslides in the San Bernardino Mountains, which blocked several roads. The event caused 63 injuries and around $60 million in damages.

Content continues below

To learn more about the 1992 Landers and Big Bear earthquake, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."

Subscribe to 'This Day in Weather History': Apple Podcasts | Amazon Alexa | Google Assistant | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeartRadio | Overcast'

Thumbnail: "Damage to the Yucca Lanes Bowling Center from the 1992 quake." Courtesy of Wikipedia