San Diego Earthquakes

Believe it or not, I’ve actually met travelers who are hesitant to visit La Jolla because of our state’s history of earthquakes. This always amazes me because I’ve lived here most of my life and, while there have been a few minor shakes, our quakes never do much damage.

The experts at San Diego State University and Scripps Institution of Oceanography also agree that San Diego earthquakes usually end up being non-events:

“The San Diego area is relatively safe seismically, at least compared with other population centers in California.”

When I spoke with Kevin L. Robinson, Lecturer, Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, he described one of the more memorable San Diego earthquakes:

“The last good one that most everyone felt in San Diego was on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010. The 7.2 Mexicali quake shook the region for over 30 seconds. It was not a big killer because it happened in the desert west of Mexicali, outside any metro area. There were some structures damaged and one person killed (they panicked and ran into the street and got hit by a car). Irrigation canals south of the border were hard hit and took over two years to fix having a big impact on farmers. The quake was felt all over southern California, some distant locations experienced more shaking due to waves preferentially directed and also by waves refracted back to the surface from the mantle.”

I was out of town and missed the 2010 quake, but I do remember some rattling from the early morning Northridge quake in 1994. I also know people who slept right through it.

The point being that – so far at least – earthquake damage in La Jolla and other parts of San Diego usually amounts to a few books falling off a shelf.

Excessive sun exposure is a more serious threat, and the biggest potential problem that will develop on a La Jolla vacation is that you’ll fall in love with the area and never want to leave. My friend Michelle Silverman at Prudential California Realty is just one of the many La Jolla real estate brokers who have sold homes to visitors who became enamored with our beautiful community.

Tags: California, danger, earthquakes, history of San Diego earthquakes, La Jolla, quakes, real estate broker, San Diego, Southern California, travel, vacation

Category: San Diego earthquakes