March 26, 1872 Earthquake: Owens Valley, California, United States
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Owens Valley, California, United States on March 26, 1872 at 10:30 UTC. It killed 27 people.
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
- March 26, 1872
- Time
- 10:30 UTC
- Place
- Owens Valley, California, United States
- Magnitude
- 7.8 (Mw)
- Intensity
- 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 36.700° N, 118.100° W
- Country
- United States
The toll
- Deaths
- 27
- Injuries
- 56
- Damage
- $250,000
- Houses destroyed
- 52
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.
The most devastating effects of this earthquake occurred at Lone Pine, where 52 of 59 houses (mostly constructed of adobe or stone) were destroyed and 27 people were killed. A few fatalities also were reported in other parts of Owens Valley. Property loss has been estimated at $250,000. MMI Intensity VIII or larger was observed over an area of about 25,000 km2, and MMI Intensity IX or larger was observed over an area of about 5,500 km2. The shock was felt over most of California and much of Nevada. Thousands of aftershocks occurred, some severe.
(above from reference #542)
Reference #1622 lists MMI Intensity X-XI.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- August 22, 1952, Kern County, California, United States
- July 4, 2019, Ridgecrest, Nevada, California, United States
- July 21, 1986, Chalfant Valley, California-Nevada, United States
- July 6, 2019, Ridgecrest, California, United States
- May 25, 1980, Mammoth Lakes, California, United States
- June 29, 1992, Nevada Test Site, Nevada-California Border, United States
More
Significant earthquakes of 1872The 1800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
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 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 2195.