1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

Major Earthquake Strikes San Francisco Bay Area

Sixty-Three Killed, Thousands Injured

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—On Tuesday, October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m., a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area, killing 63 people and injuring thousands.

The epicenter of the earthquake was on the Loma Prieta segment of the San Andreas Fault, about 10 miles southwest of San Jose. The earthquake caused widespread damage throughout the Bay Area, including the collapse of a portion of the Bay Bridge, a major transportation artery connecting San Francisco and Oakland.

The Loma Prieta earthquake was the most powerful to hit the Bay Area since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It caused an estimated $5 billion in damage and disrupted the lives of millions of people.