October 2, 1969 Earthquake: Santa Rosa, California, United States
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Santa Rosa, California, United States on October 2, 1969 at 04:56:46 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.
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
- October 2, 1969
- Time
- 04:56:46 UTC
- Place
- Santa Rosa, California, United States
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 38.467° N, 122.692° W
- Country
- United States
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Damage
- $8.4 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.
Two earthquakes on Oct 2, 1969 at 0456 and 0619 UTC caused one fatality and left severe property damage in Santa Rosa: several old brick and wood-frame buildings were damaged beyond repair; chimneys were destroyed; sidewalks buckled; and underground pipes ruptured. Total damage was estimated at $8.35 million. (reference #542)
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
- March 7, 1865, E Central, Sonoma County, California, United States
- April 19, 1892, Vacaville,winters, California, United States
- September 3, 2000, Napa, California, United States
- March 31, 1898, Sonoma County, California, United States
- April 21, 1892, Winters, 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
- June 10, 1836, California, United States
- February 10, 1869, San Francisco, California, United States
- February 13, 1869, San Francisco, California, United States
More
Significant earthquakes of 1969The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1969Recent 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 4502.