June 1838 Earthquake: San Francisco,san Jose,santa Clara, California, United States
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck San Francisco,san Jose,santa Clara, California, United States in June 1838.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- June 1838
- Place
- San Francisco,san Jose,santa Clara, California, United States
- Magnitude
- 7 (ML)
- Intensity
- VIII, severe shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 37.600° N, 122.400° W
- Country
- United States
- Region
- North America and Hawaii
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
This earthquake was associated with a probable rupture on the San Andreas fault, from near Santa Clara to San Francisco. It is suggested that the fault rupture may have extended throughout all or most of the line that was active in the 1906 earthquake. Walls were cracked at Mission Dolores (San Francisco), and some adobe walls were cracked and glassware and crockery were broken at Monterey. (Reference #542)
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #542 Stover, Carl W., and Jerry L. Coffman (1993). Seismicity of the United States, 1568-1989 (Revised), U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 418 p.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 18, 1906, San Francisco, California, United States
- October 18, 1989, Loma Prieta, California, United States
- October 21, 1868, Hayward,san Francisco, California, United States
- August 24, 2014, Napa, Vallejo, California, United States
- October 2, 1969, Santa Rosa, California, United States
- September 24, 1859, Half Moon Bay, California, United States
- February 15, 1856, Northern, California, United States
- February 10, 1869, San Francisco, California, United States
- February 13, 1869, San Francisco, California, United States
- May 15, 1851, Northern, California, United States
- October 22, 1854, Northern, California, United States
- October 22, 1855, San Francisco, California, United States
- March 22, 1957, San Mateo County, California, United States
- July 20, 2007, Montclair, California, United States
- November 26, 1858, San Jose,san Francisco, California, United States
More
Significant earthquakes of 1838The 1800sRecent earthquakes near here
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 1808.