The Tehachapi Earthquake of July 21, 1952

Abstract

[Introduction] At approximately five o'clock, the morning of July 21, 1952, there occurred a strong earthquake whose center was approximately fifteen miles southwest of the small town of Tehachapi, California (population 2,500). The main shock was followed by numerous small aftershocks and several moderately strong aftershocks were experienced July 23. The main shock was rated by seismologists to have a magnitude of 7.5 on the Gutenberg-Richter magnitude scale. This compares with a magnitude of 7.1 for the Seattle, Washington shock of April 1949, a magnitude of 6.7 for the El Centro, California shock of May 1940 and 6.25 for the Long Beach, California shock of March 1933. The magnitude of an earthquake is a measure of the energy released by the shock in accordance with the following equation: E = 7.4(10)⁴ (10)^1.8M where E is the total energy released by the shock in foot-pounds and M is the magnitude of the shock.

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