February 24, 1892 Earthquake: San Diego, California, Baja California, USA, Mexico

February 23, 1892, 23:20 (Pacific Standard Time). Northern Baja California. The intensity of this shock probably reached X near the epicenter, which was apparently in the uninhabited region of northern Baja California. It was felt strongly along the Pacific coast of Baja California, as far south as San Quentin. Effects reported from San Diego County are as follows: At Carrizo, all adobe buildings were destroyed; at Jamul, walls of stone kilns cracked; in Paradise Valley, church and schoolhouse built on stilts were brought down and demolished; at San Diego, a large number of buildings cracked and plaster dislodged. Walls were cracked at Santa Ana. Also felt at Los Angeles and San Bernardino. At Campo, there were 155 shocks in 12 hours. The shock was felt as far north as Visalia. Aftershocks were numerous for several days. (reference #1128)

The remote location of this earthquake -- in an essentially uninhabited area of Baja California near Laguna Salada -- probably kept damage low, but also made determination of its epicenter, and an accurate measure of its magnitude, difficult (it was likely near magnitude 7). Surface rupture along the Laguna Salada fault zone (the southern continuation of the Elsinore fault zone) in northern Baja California, Mexico, however, has recently been studied and seems to be the right age to coincide with this event. Still, the quake managed to leave cracks in large buildings in San Diego, and cause a general alarm among the people. At the Carrizo stage depot in San Diego County, adobe buildings were destroyed. At Jamul, the walls of the stone kilns at the cement works were cracked. In Paradise Valley, a church and a school were destroyed. The shock was severe even in Los Angeles, causing alarm among some, though damage was minimal. In Mexico, the towns of Ensenada, El Alamo, and San Quintin were shaken violently. Amazingly, no fatalities were reported. 32° 30' N, 115° 40' W about 20 km (13 miles) southwest of Mexicali, Mexico about 125 km (80 miles) east of San Diego. MAGNITUDE: MW7 (reference #13507)