Authority Wants 1952 Quake Anniversary to Remind Californians to Prepare

Friday marks the 65th anniversary of the 1952 magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck Kern County, Calif., considered the largest quake to strike Southern California since the 1870s.

While the epicenter was on the White Wolf fault in the southern San Joaquin Valley—a fault that had not been considered a threat—people in far reaches of the state and as far away as Las Vegas felt its shaking. Multiple strong aftershocks occurred as well, including a particularly destructive magnitude 5.8 aftershock a month later.

It was the largest earthquake in Southern California since the Fort Tejon earthquake of 1857 and the Owens Valley earthquake of 1872 and caused immense and widespread damage. The White Wolf fault is a reverse fault north of the intersection of the Garlock and San Andreas faults, according to the Southern California Earthquake Data Center.

This quake and its aftershocks were responsible for damaging hundreds of buildings in the Kern County area.

It devastated a section of the Southern Pacific Railroad line near Bear Mountain, wreaked havoc on agriculture in the Arvin area where the land has been reclaimed from the Kern River Delta, creating conditions which amplified the shaking, according to the data center.

“This anniversary serves as a reminder that it’s wise to take steps to be prepared for quakes, which come with no warning,” said Glenn Pomeroy, CEO of the California Earthquake Authority, said in a statement. “History shows that damaging earthquakes can happen across California at any time.”

The Kern County quake damaged buildings in Bakersfield, disrupted agriculture near the town of Arvin, destroyed a portion of rail line near Bear Mountain and even damaged a building in San Diego. It claimed 12 lives and caused at least $50 million in property damage (the equivalent of roughly $458 million today).

Topics California Catastrophe Agribusiness