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San Francisco Earthquake: History and Facts About the 1989 Loma Prieta Quake
by Jill Loeffler •
Discover fascinating facts about the Loma Prieta San Francisco earthquake of 1989, also known as the World Series Quake.
Loma Prieta is one of two famous quakes in the history of SF. The other, which caused a fire that wiped out most of the city, occurred in 1906.
Read on for more interesting facts about the 1989 San Francisco earthquake.
San Francisco Earthquake 1989 Facts
The Moment the Quake Hit
The Loma Prieta earthquake hit the Bay Area on the evening of October 17, 1989, at 5:04 pm. This San Francisco earthquake's magnitude measured a 6.9 on the Richter Scale.
This one originated on the San Andreas fault in the Santa Cruz mountains. It got its name from the mountain where the shaking started, Loma Prieta.
That's just over an hour south of San Francisco, as you can see on the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake epicenter map above. Places all around the SF Bay Area sustained quite a bit of damage during this earthquake.
Downtown Santa Cruz, less than 30 minutes from the epicenter, had significant damage.
Notably, both the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 and the 1906 earthquake were caused by breaks along the same fault line.
The "Bay Bridge World Series" Earthquake
This is a newer photo, but will give you an idea of what was happening when the 1989 earthquake hit, right before Game 3 started.
Game Three of the 1989 World Series was just getting started in SF's Candlestick Park that night. It was scheduled to begin at 5:15 pm, and the live broadcast had just started.
This San Francisco earthquake was caught on film and was the first major earthquake to have been broadcast live on TV.
It's also interesting to note that the World Series that year was deemed the "Battle of the Bay" between the two Bay Area teams: the SF Giants and the Oakland A's.
After the first shock, everyone in the stadium felt it, but wanted them to start the game anyway. Many started chanting "Play ball!"
Little did they know at the time how much damage had occurred in San Francisco, Oakland, and around the SF Bay Area.
After the quake, they postponed Game Three of the World Series for ten days. Before they began the series again, there was quite a bit of discussion about whether or not Candlestick was safe enough to play in.
Many thought it was too dangerous to play in shortly after this large of an earthquake, but they did continue, and the series finished just two games later, with Oakland taking home the top prize.
Note: Our SF Giants no longer play at Candlestick Park. Find the Giants game schedule and get tickets. You can also take a tour of our famous Oracle Park.
It's interesting to think that the amount of casualties was most likely less than it could have been, thanks to the timing of the start of the World Series game.
Fewer people were on the roads. Many had left work early, and a lot of people were already stationed in front of their TVs to watch the game.
If more people had been on the roads during rush hour that night, the death toll (63) and number of people injured (more than 3,750) probably would have been higher.
After the Shock
After the initial shock, several more minor yet intense aftershocks continued to rock the city.
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake epicenter was about 70 miles south of SF, but the damage in the city was still significant.
Our beautiful Ferry Building is no longer hidden behind the large freeway that was severely damaged during this earthquake.
Damage to the Double-Decker SF Freeway
Before the 1989 San Francisco earthquake hit, there used to be a freeway along the Embarcadero that ran in front of the Ferry Building.
It was a popular route and allowed people to get through the city much faster. However, it was pretty ugly, and many locals didn't love the look of it.
It was a double-decker freeway with two levels of lanes. After the Loma Prieta earthquake, the damage was so significant that there was no way to repair the roadway, so it had to be removed.
The city still has not rebuilt that portion of the freeway. Now the revamped Embarcadero is gorgeous, offering the Ferry Building, the Exploratorium, and several wonderful restaurants near the water.
Damage in the Marina District
As with the 1906 quake, fires began to break out in the city after the 1989 San Francisco earthquake hit. The main area that was impacted was the Marina District.
This district in the city is built on landfill, not hard stone or rock. The ground in this area was not able to absorb the forceful shaking from the earthquake, and several buildings toppled over.
When the buildings collapsed, gas lines broke and several fires started. The difference this time is that the fires were quickly put out by high-powered hoses and water from the bay.
Locals who lived in the area also worked together to help with the fires. They helped connect longer fire hoses that ran from the SF Bay waters to buildings and homes in this district.
Did you know? San Francisco has a FREE fire museum that talks about the fire department's role in these earthquake fires, contains original antique fire engines, and has lots of other paraphernalia on display.
City of Oakland and Damage to the Ramps Leading to the Bay Bridge
The city of Oakland, right across the bay, also suffered quite a bit of damage from this big earthquake in California in 1989.
The biggest issue was when a 1.25-mile-long segment of the double-decker Cypress Street Viaduct (along Highway 880, also called the Nimitz Freeway) collapsed.
The top section fell onto the cars on the bottom section, resulting in 42 deaths. The bottom section held up, so it didn't completely collapse into the water.
Many residents living nearby in West Oakland started to do whatever they could to help rescue those trapped on the bridge.
Although the bridge was eventually fixed enough to get the traffic moving again between the East Bay and San Francisco, it was eventually condemned.
The rebuilt freeway is now considered to be one of the safest places to be when an earthquake strikes.
More Facts about the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake
Overall there were 63 deaths from this San Francisco earthquake. In addition, there were over 3,500 injuries, and over 8,000 people were displaced from their homes.
Significant structural damage also occurred. It is estimated that around 1,300 buildings were destroyed, and 20,000 buildings were damaged, resulting in about $6.8 billion in direct damage.
San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area learned quite a bit from this earthquake. They found that many buildings needed more and better retrofitting.
Where to Learn More About SF's Earthquakes
These books on San Francisco earthquake history include even more facts about the famous earthquakes in the region. They have first-hand accounts of what it was like during the shaking and what it took to rebuild after each one.
The 1989 Loma Prieta San Francisco earthquake was the second most devastating earthquake in SF's history. Read about the 7.9-magnitude San Francisco earthquake and devastating fire in 1906.
You can also visit my What Causes Earthquakes? page to get more cool facts.
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