At the turn of the 20th century, San Francisco, California was among the wealthiest and most influential cities on the Pacific Coast. The Bay City was the eighth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with a population over 400,000. San Francisco was also the economic center of the western United States, due largely to mining and railroads. However, in the early morning hours of April 18, 1906, that all changed. 

At 5:12 AM, a powerful earthquake originated just offshore from San Francisco, on a segment of the San Andreas fault. It struck without warning and rattled all of coastal northern California. In the Bay City, the shaking was violent, heavily damaging buildings and infrastructure. Immediately afterwards, fires broke out that swept through the city and burned for the next three days. An estimated 80% of San Francisco was reduced to ruins and ashes. Over 3,000 residents were killed and more than 225,000 were left homeless.

Shortly after the disaster, the governor of California appointed an eight-person commission to study the earthquake and its impacts. A full report released by the commission, with contributions from more than 25 scientists and engineers, set a standard for post-earthquake investigations, spawned further studies, and inspired many researchers to develop techniques and tools that have advanced our knowledge of earthquakes and how to mitigate their impacts, for decades afterward.  

This six-week course will examine the 1906 San Francisco event, early discoveries made about it, and how those findings gave birth to modern earthquake science. As these aspects are examined, course participants will gain an appreciation for how earthquakes occur, how they are detected and described, efforts to prepare for them and their impacts, and the possibility of earthquake prediction and forecasting.