1971 San Fernando earthquake facts for kids
The 1971 San Fernando earthquake, also called the Sylmar earthquake, was a strong earthquake that shook southern California early in the morning of February 9, 1971. It happened near the San Gabriel Mountains, at the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley. The earthquake measured 6.6 on the Richter scale, which is a way to measure how strong an earthquake is.
The quake struck at 6:00 AM Pacific Standard Time. It caused a lot of damage, especially in the San Fernando Valley area. Sadly, 64 people lost their lives because of this earthquake.
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What Is an Earthquake?
An earthquake is when the ground shakes. This happens because large pieces of the Earth's outer layer, called tectonic plates, are always moving. Sometimes, these plates get stuck. When they finally break free, they release a lot of energy. This energy travels through the ground as waves, making everything shake.
California has many fault lines, which are cracks in the Earth's crust where these plates meet. The San Fernando earthquake happened along one of these fault lines.
The Day the Earth Shook
On February 9, 1971, many people were still asleep when the earthquake hit. The shaking was very strong and lasted for about 60 seconds. This was long enough to cause a lot of destruction to buildings and roads.
Damage and Its Impact
The earthquake caused major damage to many structures. Hospitals, dams, and highways were hit especially hard.
Hospitals Damaged
Two hospitals, Olive View Hospital and the Veterans Hospital, were badly damaged.
- At Olive View Hospital, staircases broke away from the main buildings.
- At the Veterans Hospital, four buildings completely collapsed. This was very dangerous for patients and staff inside.
Dams and Highways Affected
The Lower Van Norman Dam was also damaged. Engineers worried it might break, so thousands of people living nearby had to leave their homes for a few days.
Highways also suffered. Parts of the Interstate 5 and Interstate 210 overpasses collapsed. This made it very difficult for people to travel and for emergency services to reach affected areas.
Lessons Learned from the Quake
After the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, people learned important lessons about building safer structures. Engineers and builders started to design buildings, bridges, and dams that could better withstand strong shaking. Building codes, which are rules for how buildings must be constructed, were made much stricter in California to help protect people from future earthquakes.
Images for kids
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CISN ShakeMap of the San Fernando earthquake mainshock
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Partly detached staircase and severely damaged buildings at the Olive View Hospital
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Fallen stair towers and damaged basement at the Olive View Hospital
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Collapse of four buildings at the Veterans Hospital complex
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Damage to the Lower Van Norman Dam
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Interstate 210 / Interstate 5 overpass collapsed onto San Fernando Road
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The Veterans Memorial Community Regional Park in December 2017
See also
In Spanish: Terremoto de San Fernando de 1971 para niños
