Buildings damaged by the Whittier Narrows, California, earthquake of 1 October 1987 were concentrated in several areas, most of which were located 8 to 10 km from the epicenter … The Uptown Whittier area appeared to be flourishing before Oct. 1, 1987. Just 3 hours after the Whittier Narrows earthquake struck, it became clear that a heretofore unseen geological structure was seismically active beneath metropolitan Los Angeles.
Type of Faulting: thrust Time: October 1, 1987 Location: 34° 03.68' N, 118° 04.71' W 11 km (7 miles) southeast of Pasadena Magnitude: M L 5.9 Depth: 9.5 km This earthquake occurred on a previously unknown, concealed thrust fault approximately 20 km east of downtown Los Angeles, California.
The 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake occurred in the southern San Gabriel Valley and surrounding communities of southern California at 7:42 a.m. PDT on October 1. Whittier, Alhambra, and Pasadena are frequently mentioned in stories about the earthquake because that’s where most of the damage happened. (Photo by Leo Jarzomb, SGV Tribune/ SCNG) The area investigated covers Los Angeles and other communities including Whittier, Alhambra, and Pasadena. Within hours following the Whittier Narrows earthquake of October 1, 1987, a structural engineer from the Center for Building Technology, National Bureau of Standards surveyed the damage to buildings and other structures. The Whittier Narrows earthquake sequence (local magnitude, M L = 5.9), which caused over $358-million damage, indicates that assessments of earthquake hazards in the Los Angeles metropolitan area may be underestimated.
The moderate 5.9 magnitude blind thrust earthquake was centered several miles north of Whittier in the town of Rosemead, had a relatively shallow depth, and was felt throughout southern California and southern Nevada.
But then the 5.9 magnitude Whittier Narrows earthquake hit with a …
Significant Earthquakes and Faults Chronological Earthquake Index Whittier Narrows Earthquake. If the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake is the characteristic earthquake along the 170-km-long anticlinorium, then recurrence intervals are estimated to be 5.6-12.1 years.
The old Whittier Theater at the southwest corner of Whittier Boulevard and Hadley Street is now the location of a Walgreens pharmacy. The Whittier Narrows earthquake sequence (local magnitude, M L = 5.9), which caused over $358-million damage, indicates that assessments of earthquake hazards in the Los Angeles metropolitan area may be underestimated. Uptown Whittier was hit hard by the Oct. 1, 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake–here we show how some of the heavily damaged properties have changed as of Sept. 27, 2017. It was later nicknamed the Whittier Narrows Earthquake, as the epicenter was close to the sprawling park and nature area by the same name.