By — Julia Griffin Julia Griffin Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/reliving-the-earthquake-that-changed-earthquake-science Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Reliving the earthquake that changed earthquake science Science Apr 18, 2016 2:39 PM EDT At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, a magnitude 7.7 to 7.9 earthquake shook San Francisco awake. Buildings crumbled, water mains ruptured and fires broke out across the city. Those fires would fuel a massive inferno that would rage through San Francisco for three days. The 1906 earthquake and the firestorm that followed left at least 3,000 people dead and more than 200,000 homeless. It also led to tremendous advances in earthquake science. The Report of the State Earthquake Investigation Commission, more commonly known as the Lawson Report, was published in 1908. The discoveries in this report laid the groundwork for modern seismic analysis. For the 110th anniversary of the quake, @NewsHour dug through photos, reports and old records of the earthquake and recounted in a real-time Twitter narrative what happened during the catastrophe and the knowledge gained in the aftermath. Special thanks to seismologist and Stanford University Consulting Professor Mary Lou Zoback; USGS seismologist David Wald; and USGS seismologist and author Susan Hough for their guidance on historical and scientific facts. See below for a recap of the #1906Earthquake narrative: [View the story “#1906Earthquake” on Storify] We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Julia Griffin Julia Griffin Julia Griffin is senior coordinator of digital video at PBS NewsHour where she oversees the daily production of video content for the organization’s website and social media platforms.
At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, a magnitude 7.7 to 7.9 earthquake shook San Francisco awake. Buildings crumbled, water mains ruptured and fires broke out across the city. Those fires would fuel a massive inferno that would rage through San Francisco for three days. The 1906 earthquake and the firestorm that followed left at least 3,000 people dead and more than 200,000 homeless. It also led to tremendous advances in earthquake science. The Report of the State Earthquake Investigation Commission, more commonly known as the Lawson Report, was published in 1908. The discoveries in this report laid the groundwork for modern seismic analysis. For the 110th anniversary of the quake, @NewsHour dug through photos, reports and old records of the earthquake and recounted in a real-time Twitter narrative what happened during the catastrophe and the knowledge gained in the aftermath. Special thanks to seismologist and Stanford University Consulting Professor Mary Lou Zoback; USGS seismologist David Wald; and USGS seismologist and author Susan Hough for their guidance on historical and scientific facts. See below for a recap of the #1906Earthquake narrative: [View the story “#1906Earthquake” on Storify] We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now