| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
The quake hit at 2:35 in the morning and leveled almost all the buildings in Lone Pine and nearby settlements. Of the estimated 250-300 inhabitants of Lone Pine, 27 are known to have perished and 52 of the 59 houses were destroyed. One report states that the main buildings were thrown down in almost every town in Inyo County. About 100 kilometers south of Lone Pine, at Indian Wells, California, adobe houses sustained cracks. Property loss has been estimated at $250,000 (1872 dollars). As in many earthquakes, adobe, stone and masonry structures fared worse than wooden ones which prompted the closing of nearby Camp Independence which was an adobe structure destroyed in the quake.
The quake was felt strongly as far away as Sacramento where citizens were startled out of bed and into the streets. Giant rockslide s in what is now Yosemite National Park woke naturalist John MuirJohn Muir ( April 21, 1838 December 24, 1914) was an environmentalist, naturalist, traveler, writer, and scientist. He is, however, probably best remembered as one of the greatest champions of the Yosemite area's natural wonders. He thought that nature wa, then living in Yosemite ValleyYosemite Valley is a world-famous scenic location in the Sierra Nevada of California. It is the centerpiece of Yosemite National Park. More than 100 million visitors have come seeking what John Muir wrote about: Yosemite Park is a place of rest, a refuge, who reportedly ran out of his cabin shouting, "A noble earthquake!" and promptly made a moonlit survey of the fresh talusTalus (which is Latin for ankle-bone), has several meanings: in mountaineering and climbing, talus is small broken rock found on mountain slopes and at the base of cliffs. It is used interchangeably with scree. in Greek mythology, Talus is an alternate sp piles. This earthquake stopped clocks and awakened people in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is a city located in the southwestern corner of the state of California (and thus in the southwestern corner of the continental United States). It is the county seat of San Diego County, California. The city is noted for its temperate climate an to the south, Red Bluff, CaliforniaRed Bluff is the county seat of Tehama County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 13,147. Geography Red Bluff is located at 40°10'36" North, 122°14'17" West (40. 176640, -122. According to the United States Census Bureau to the north, and Elko, NevadaElko is a city located in Elko County, Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 16,708. It is the county seat of Elko County 6. Geography Elko is located at 40°50'11" North, 115°45'56" West (40. 836396, -115. According to the Unit, to the east. The shock was felt over most of California and much of NevadaNevada is a state located in the western United States. The population, as of 2000, is 1,998,257. Nevada is the fastest growing state in the country. Between 2000 and 2003, Nevada's population increased 12. 2%, while the USA's population increased 3.. Thousands of aftershockAftershocks are earthquakes of smaller magnitude that follow a large quake. They happen because the newly-moved rock has to be settled. Aftershocks are dangerous because they are usually unpredictable, can be of a large magnitude, and can catch people offs occurred, some severe.
The quake resulted from sudden vertical (15-20 feet) and right-lateral (35-40 feet) movement on the Lone Pine fault and part of the Owens Valley fault. These faults are part of a twin system of normal faults that run along the base of two parallel mountain ranges; the Sierra Nevada on the west and Inyo Mountains on the east flank of Owens Valley. This particular event created fault scarp s from north of Big Pine, California (55 miles north of Lone Pine), to Haiwee Reservoir (30 miles south of Lone Pine).
Researchers later estimated that similar earthquakes occur on the Lone Pine fault every 3,000-4,000 years. However, the Lone Pine fault is only one of many faults on two parallel systems of faults mentioned above.
This earthquake also reportedly formed a small graben that later was filled by Diaz Lake .
Many geoscientists who have studied the area, theorize that quakes similar to the 1872 Lone Pine event, are responsible for creating Owens Valley (see Basin and Range Province for ideas on what triggers these quakes).