When was the last big earthquake in california?

Although Sunday's Napa shake-up was one of California's biggest in recent memory, the state has a history of far bigger geological rumblings. read more

This offshore quake caused by the Mendocino fault off the coast of northern California was felt from Eugene, Oregon, to San Francisco. In 1992, a series of earthquakes greater than magnitude 6.5 struck over an 18-hour period in the same region. read more

The few damaging earthquakes that occurred in the American Midwest and the East Coast were well known (1755 Cape Ann, 1811–12 New Madrid, 1886 Charleston), and it became apparent to settlers that the earthquake hazard situation was much different in the West. read more

KERN COUNTY EARTHQUAKE . TIME: July 21, 1952 / 4:52 am, PDT LOCATION: 23 miles south of Bakersfield MAGNITUDE: 7.5 . The largest earthquake in southern California since the Fort Tejon earthquake of 1857 and the Owens Valley earthquake of 1872, the Kern County earthquake of 1952 caused immense and widespread damage. read more