M6.0 earthquake Tejon Pass, California

This earthquake struck near Lebec (Kern County) in the Tejon Pass area at about 6:44 PM on Oct 22 (equivalent to 02:44 UTC on Oct 23). The epicentral area of this earthquake was sparsely populated, and so intensity information was meager. In San Emigdio Canyon (Kern County), the top one-third of a large rock chimney was knocked off, and many rocks rolled off nearby mountains. Near Frazier Mountain (Ventura County), about 10 km southwest of Tejon Pass, a crack opened in the ground; on the Snedden Ranch in Lockwood Valley [about 17 km southwest of Tejon Pass], an adobe house was cracked so severely that it could not be repaired. On the north side of Lockwood Valley, at the Frazier Borax mine, the shock detached the porch from a frame house. On Alamo Mountain, about 18 km southwest of Tejon Pass, limbs fell from pine trees and rocks fell from the canyon walls at several places. Near Gorman, a crack several meters in length and a few centimeters in width formed in the cement surface of the highway. Cracks also were reported in the highway at Bailey's Patrol Station, northwest of Quail Lake [about 10 km east of Tejon Pass].
A strong aftershock was observed in the area 10 minutes later, and several lighter aftershocks were reported. The main earthquake was felt from Shafter (Kern County) south to Los Angeles and from Roosevelt (Los Angeles County) west to Los Olivos (Santa Barbara County). Isolated felt reports, however, were received from such distant points as Fresno and San Diego. The total felt area for this event was approximately 130,000 km². (Ref. 38, 56, 258, 534.)
Maximum observed Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) VII

Abridged from Seismicity of the United States, 1568-1989 (Revised), by Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1993.

The earthquake was felt as far west as San Luis Obispo and as far southeast as Indio, Julian and San Diego. To the north, it was also felt at Porterville and Tulare and as far as Fresno. At Taft, people ran to the streets, and at Maricopa, oil wells in the area had “renewed activity” because of this event.

Abridged from Areas damaged by California earthquakes, 1900-1949, by T.R. Toppozada and D.L. Parke, California Division of Mines and Geology Open-File Report 82-17, Sacramento: 1982; updated and presented by interactive map on California Geological Survey website (http://maps.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/historicearthquakes/).