1978 Santa Barbara earthquake
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 The derailment of a freight train, caused by the earthquake | |
  Los Angeles  | |
| UTC time | 1978-08-13 22:54:52 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 677997 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | August 13, 1978 |
| Local time | 15:54:52 PDT |
| Magnitude | 5.1 ML 5.6 Mw[1] |
| Depth | 8.8 km (5.5 mi) |
| Epicenter | 34°11′N 118°15′W / 34.18°N 118.25°W |
| Fault | unknown |
| Type | Thrust |
| Total damage | $15 million (1978 rate) in damages |
| Max. intensity | MMI VII (Very strong) |
| Peak acceleration | 0.23−0.94 g[2][3] |
| Casualties | 65 injuries |
The 1978 Santa Barbara earthquake (also known as the Goleta earthquake), occurred on August 13, 1978, 3:54 p.m. (PDT) with its epicenter beneath the Santa Barbara Channel.[4][5] The magnitude of the earthquake was estimated at ML 5.1 according to the Southern California Seismic Network; however, it may have been as high as 5.6 Mw.[1] There were no deaths from the event; however, 65 people sustained mild to moderate injuries.[6]
Santa Barbara is part of California, which is known for its very high level of seismic activity, the second highest in all of the United States only behind Alaska. The Santa Barbara area is affected by numerous faults, inland within the mountainous ridges on the Santa Ynez Range down to the coastal plains and beneath the Santa Barbara Channel.[7] The Santa Barbara Channel lies within the Transverse Ranges block where the transform boundary between the North American and Pacific plates takes on a transpressional character associated with the "Big Bend" in the San Andreas Fault. The faults beneath the channel trend mainly west–east and are mainly thrusts with associated folding.[8] Santa Barbara was previously hit by a much larger earthquake in 1925, with estimated magnitude between 6.5 and 6.8 Mw , causing $8 million (1925 rate) in damage and killing 13 people.[9]
Earthquake
According to initial records it measured 5.1–5.7 ML and is still being debated today. The fault that caused the tremor has still been unidentified however surface ruptures were found facing Northwestward around the epicenter focused beneath the Santa Barbara Channel. Seismograph monitors in the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) measured 0.45 g, another monitor at the top of the North hall on the other hand recorded accelerations as high as 0.94 g.[10] Other local seismographs claim that 0.40 g was recorded in Goleta and only 0.23 g was recorded in Santa Barbara.[11] Coincidentally, just a day before the earthquake struck, four seismographs were installed near the most affected areas. The newly installed instruments helped determine the focal mechanism; thrust faulting with a small component of left-lateral strike-slip.[6][12]