Northridge Earthquake of 17 January 1994, Mw 6.7

At 4:30 am local time, on January 17, 1994, a strong earthquake with magnitude Mw=6.7 struck northwest of Los Angeles. The earthquake occurred on a blind thrust fault, and produced the strongest ground motions ever instrumentally recorded in an urban setting in North America. The maximum acceleration of 1.8g was recorded at Tarzana, about 7 km south of the epicenter. Damage was wide-spread, sections of major freeways collapsed, parking structures and office buildings collapsed, and numerous apartment buildings suffered irreparable damage. More than 40,000 buildings damaged in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. The cost of the severe damages was estimated 20 billion U.S. dollars. According to the USGS’s report, maximum intensities of IX were observed in and near Northridge and in Sherman Oaks. Lesser, but still significant damage occurred at Fillmore, Glendale, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica, Simi Valley and in western and central Los Angeles. The event claimed about 57 people, injured more than 7,000 and left 20,000 people homeless.