Imperial Valley Earthquake – California – February 23, 1892

An area close to the California–Mexico border experienced an earthquake of magnitude 7.8. Damage was caused in San Diego County and as far south as San Quentin in Baya, California.

On February 23, 1892 an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck an area close to the California–Mexico border. The destructive power of this earthquake demolished all adobe buildings in San Diego County and did comparable damage 250 miles east of San Diego, in Arizona. South of the California border, along the Pacific Coast, major damage was reported as far south as San Quentin, Baja California, 180 miles south of the border. Aftershocks were felt all along the coast northwards to Santa Barbara and there was one report of aftershocks in Visalia, five hundred miles north of the Imperial Valley. In Ensenada, fifty miles south of the border, in Baja California, local residents declared that they had never in living memory experienced an earthquake of this strength. There were numerous aftershocks with one weather station having recorded 155 of shocks within a twenty-four-hour period. Large parts of the total area affected was unoccupied by people who might have provided detailed information about the earthquake, as a result we do not have a clear indication of the epicenter’s location.