1994 Northridge earthquake

{{Short description|Earthquake in Los Angeles, California}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{Use mdy dates |date=November 2021}} {{Infobox earthquake | title = 1994 Northridge earthquake | image = FEMA - 1681 - Photograph by FEMA News Photo taken on 01-17-1994 in California.jpg | caption = Aerial view of the destruction | map = 20200202193400!Shake_Map_Northridge_1994.jpg | map_caption = ShakeMap for the event created by the United States Geological Survey | map2 = {{Location map+|USA California |places= {{Location map~|California|lat=34.05|long=-118.25|label=Los Angeles|label_size=100|mark=Green pog.svg}} {{Location map~|California|lat=36.18|long=-115.14|label=Las Vegas|label_size=100|position=left|mark = Green pog.svg}} {{Location map~|California|lat=34.213|long=-118.537|mark=Bullseye1.png|marksize=40}} {{Location map~|California|lat=32.715|long=-117.1625|label=San Diego|label_size=100|position=left|mark=Green pog.svg}} {{Location map~|California|lat=37.505833|long=-120.848889|label=Turlock|label_size=100|position=left|mark=Green pog.svg}} |width=260 |float=right |caption= |relief=yes}} | duration = 8 seconds | timestamp = 1994-01-17 12:30:55 | isc-event = 189275 | anss-url = ci3144585 | local-date = {{Start date and age|1994|01|17}} | local-time = 4:30:55 a.m. PST<ref name="USGS">{{cite web|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1994_01_17.php|title=Historic Earthquakes|access-date=13 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201081744/https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1994_01_17.php|archive-date=2016-12-01}}</ref> | magnitude = 6.7 {{M|w|link=y}}<ref>{{Short-anss|Northridge|1994}}</ref> | depth = {{cvt|11.31|mi}} | location = {{Coord|34.213|N|118.537|W|region:US-CA_type:event|display=inline, title}} | type = Blind thrust | countries affected = Greater Los Angeles Area Southern California United States | damage = $13–50 billion | intensity = {{MMI|IX}}<ref name=USGS/> | casualties = 57 killed >8,700 injured | pgv = >170 cm/s | pga = 1.82 ''g'' | fault = Northridge Blind Thrust Fault }} thumb|right|Magnitude of the earthquake and aftershocks

The '''1994 Northridge earthquake''' affected Greater Los Angeles, California, United States, on January 17, 1994, at 04:30:55 PST. The epicenter of the moment {{m|magnitude}} 6.7 ({{M|w|link=y}}) blind thrust earthquake was beneath the San Fernando Valley.<ref>{{Cite anss|Northridge|1994|ci3144585|6.7 – 1 km NNW of Reseda, CA}}</ref> The shock lasted approximately 8 seconds and achieved a peak ground acceleration of over 1.7 ''g''. It is the largest recorded earthquake in the area's history, slightly surpassing the {{M|w|link=y}} 6.6 1971 San Fernando earthquake. Shaking was felt as far away as San Diego, California; Turlock, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Richfield, Utah; Phoenix, Arizona; and Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.<ref name=usgs-impact>{{cite web|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci3144585/impact|title=M 6.7 – Northridge – Impact|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=2021-11-11}}</ref> Sixty people died and more than 9,000 were injured.<ref name=latimes95/><ref name="Miller">{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Devon|date=2021-01-17|title=Remembering The Northridge Earthquake 27 Years Later|url=http://valleypostnews.com/remembering-the-northridge-earthquake-27-years-later/17/01/2021/|access-date=2021-01-17|website=The Valley Post|archive-date=May 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525073203/https://valleypostnews.com/remembering-the-northridge-earthquake-27-years-later/17/01/2021/}}</ref> In addition, property damage was estimated to be $13–50 billion, making it among the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.<ref>{{cite web|title=1994 Quake Still Fresh in Los Angeles Minds|publisher=Los Angeles Daily News|url=http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20140111/northridge-earthquake-1994-disaster-still-fresh-in-los-angeles-minds-after-20-years|access-date=November 11, 2021|date=2014-01-11}}</ref><ref name="NGDC">{{cite web|url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/5372|title=Significant Earthquake Information|last=National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information|year=1972|publisher=NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |doi=10.7289/V5TD9V7K}}</ref>

==Geology== The epicenter region of the earthquake was located in the San Fernando Valley, about {{cvt|30|km}} northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) placed the hypocenter's geographical coordinates at {{Coord|34.213|N|118.537|W|}} and at a depth of {{cvt|11.31|mi}}.<ref name="USGSQuake">{{cite web|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci3144585/executive|title=M 6.7 – 1 km NNW of Reseda, CA|department=Earthquake Hazards Program|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=31 March 2021}}</ref> Measuring {{M|w|link=y}} 6.7, it was the largest earthquake recorded in the Los Angeles area since the 1971 San Fernando earthquake ({{M|w}} 6.7). However, unlike the Northridge earthquake, the San Fernando shock occurred on a north–northeast dipping thrust fault beneath the San Gabriel Mountains. Motion during the Northridge event occurred along a south–southwest dipping blind thrust fault beneath the valley. The rupture propagated upward and northwestward along the fault plane for eight seconds at speeds of ~{{cvt|3|km}} per second.<ref name="OFreport1">{{cite report|title=USGS Response to an Urban Earthquake: Northridge '94|chapter=Studying the Setting and Consequences of the Earthquake|series=Open-File Report 96-263|url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1996/ofr-96-0263/mainshk.htm|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=10 July 2024|year=1996}}</ref> The fault planes that produced both earthquakes run parallel to each other.<ref name="jstor1">{{cite journal|author1=U.S. Geological Survey|author2=Southern California Earthquake Center|title=The Magnitude 6.7 Northridge, California, Earthquake of 17 January 1994|journal=Science|series=New Series|date=October 21, 1994|volume=266|issue=5184|pages=389–397|url=https://www.daveboore.com/pubs_online/northridge_report_science_1994.pdf|publisher=American Association for the Advancement of Science|doi=10.1126/science.266.5184.389 |pmid=17816681 |bibcode=1994Sci...266..389G }}</ref> Several other faults experienced minor rupture during the main shock and other ruptures occurred during large aftershocks, or triggered events.<ref name="scec1">{{cite web|url=http://www.data.scec.org/significant/northridge1994.html|title=Southern California Earthquake Data Center|publisher=Caltech|access-date=2013-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006115519/http://www.data.scec.org/significant/northridge1994.html|archive-date=2014-10-06}}</ref> The previously undiscovered fault that ruptured in 1994 was subsequently named the Northridge Blind Thrust Fault or Pico Thrust Fault.<ref>{{cite web|title=1994 Northridge Earthquake|url=https://scedc.caltech.edu/earthquake/northridge1994.html|publisher=Southern California Earthquake Data Cente, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology|access-date=10 July 2024}}</ref>

Thrust faulting in the northern Los Angeles basin occurs in response to north–south crustal shortening.<ref name="Hauksson1">{{cite news|last1=Hauksson|first1=Egill|last2=Jones|first2=Lucile M.|title=Seismology: The Northridge Earthquake and its Aftershocks|url=https://www.scec.org/publication/138|access-date=9 July 2024|work=SCEC Contribution #138|publisher=Southern California Earthquake Center|year=1995}}</ref> The fault responsible for the earthquake represented a component of a larger system of faults within the {{cvt|160|km}} "Big Bend" stepover of the San Andreas Fault. Crustal compression occurs along this bend of the San Andreas Fault. The Transverse Range and Los Angeles basin hosts east–west striking thrust faults and folds that accommodate over {{cvt|10|mm}} of the compressive motion annually. This zone comprises north and south dipping faults that run subparallel to each other. Most of these faults are buried structures and only a handful reach the surface.<ref name="jstor1"/>

===Aftershocks=== {{see also|Omori's law}} Seismic observatories recorded 3,000 aftershocks greater than magnitude 1.5 in the three weeks following the mainshock. By comparing previous aftershock sequences in California against a decay rate equation, the Northridge aftershock activity was highly energetic but decayed marginally quicker than average. The strongest aftershock, measuring {{M|w}} 5.9, was recorded one minute after the mainshock. These aftershocks were distributed in three zones; the first zone illuminated a fault structure dipping 35° to 45° at a depth range of {{cvt|8-19|km}}. Another aftershock zone at shallower depth suggested diffuse tectonic behavior of an anticline above. The third aftershock cluster was in the Santa Susana Mountains after a {{M|w}} 5.6 aftershock 11 hours after the mainshock. That event and its aftershocks were distributed along a {{cvt|10|km}} strike and vertically within the crust, likely associated with faults that did not rupture during the mainshock.<ref name="jstor1"/><ref name="berkley">{{cite web |author=Dreger |first=Douglas |title=The Large Aftershocks of the Northridge Earthquake and their Relationship to Mainshock Slip and Fault Zone Complexity |url=http://seismo.berkeley.edu/~dreger/paper.html |access-date=25 November 2012}}</ref>

===Ground effects=== The earthquake caused uplift across {{cvt|5000|km2}} including the San Fernando Valley. Global Positioning System observations indicate the maximum uplift was {{cvt|70|cm}}.<ref name="jstor1"/> Direct observations at Oat Mountain suggest the Santa Susana Mountains were thrusted up {{cvt|40|cm}}. Across the northern valley area, uplift was as much as {{cvt|20-40|cm}}. The neighborhood of Northridge was raised {{cvt|20|cm}}. The USGS described the surface above the zone of greatest fault displacement as compressed into an "asymmetric dome-shaped uplift". There was also {{cvt|22|cm}} of horizontal deformation which was the largest of its kind measured after the mainshock.<ref name="OFreport1"/>

The USGS recorded over 11,000 landslides within {{cvt|10000|km2}}; most were recorded throughout a {{cvt|1000|km2}} area that comprised the Santa Susana Mountains and ridges north of the Santa Clara River Valley. On average, these documented landslides were under {{cvt|1000|m3}}, although a significant number of them were larger than {{convert|100000|m3|e6ft3|abbr=unit}}. Rotational block slides were thought to be in the tens or hundreds, including a handful measuring over 100,000 m3. The largest block slide measured {{convert|8|e6m3|e6ft3|abbr=unit}}. A majority of them occurred in the weak Tertiary to Pleistocene sediments and were previous landslides that became reactivated.<ref name="Harp1">{{cite journal|last1=Harp|first1=Edwin L.|last2=Jibson|first2=Randall W.|title=Landslides triggered by the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake|journal=Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America|year=1996|volume=86|issue=1B|pages=S319–S332|doi=10.1785/BSSA08601BS319|bibcode=1996BuSSA..86S.319H }}</ref>

===Strong ground motion=== {{see also|Spectral acceleration}} {| class="wikitable" style="float: right; text-align: center; font-size:90%;" |- | colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | Main shock Mercalli intensities<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dewey|first1=James W.|last2=Reagor|first2=B. G.|last3=Dengler|first3=L.A.|last4=Moley|first4=Kathy|title=Intensity distribution and isoseismal maps for the Northridge, California, earthquake of January 17, 1994|journal=Open-File Report|series=USGS Numbered Series|year=1995|volume=95-92|page=47 |doi=10.3133/ofr9592|publisher=United States Geological Survey|bibcode=1995usgs.rept...47D }}</ref> |- ! MMI !! Locations |- | {{MMI|9}} | Granada Hills, Los Angeles (I-10) Northridge, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks |- | {{MMI|8}} | San Fernando, Hollywood, Reseda Chatsworth, Universal City, Van Nuys |- | {{MMI|7}} | Agoura Hills, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Century City Glendale, Downtown, Culver City |- | {{MMI|6}} | Anaheim, Arcadia, Compton, Oxnard, Palmdale |- | {{MMI|5}} | Bullhead City, Chino, Inglewood, Long Beach, Westmorland |- | {{MMI|4}} | Barstow, Calexico, El Centro, San Diego |- | {{MMI|3}} | Parker, Las Vegas, Fresno, Santa Maria |- |} A seismometer at the Cedar Hill Nursery in Tarzana observed the greatest horizontal peak ground acceleration (pga) at 1.82 ''g'', {{cvt|7|km}} south of the epicenter.<ref name=Yegian/> The recording was one of the largest observed during an earthquake at the time, yet buildings in the immediate vicinity only sustained broken windows and cracked walls and driveways. It garnered international scientific interest among those who visited the ranch in the aftermath, who installed additional instruments to record the aftershocks. The USGS Strong Motion Instrumentation Program ruled out technical malfunction and ground amplification effects, stating that the abnormally high pga recorded by a rock-bolted seismometer was authentic. The same site also recorded an unusually high pga (0.65 ''g'') during a 1987 earthquake, though no abnormal readings were found during earthquakes in 1991 and 1992. USGS seismologist Rufus Catchings suggested the intense shaking was localised and most of the city was unharmed.<ref name="Colvin1">{{cite news|last=Colvin|first=Richard L.|title=Tarzana Jolt : Shaking Under Nursery Is Among Strongest Ever|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-18-me-24336-story.html|access-date=10 July 2024|work=Los Angeles Times|date=18 February 1994}}</ref> A possible contributing factor for the effect is the local soil condition and topography. The maximum vertical pga recorded at the same station was 1.18 ''g''.<ref name=Yegian/>

Several sites in the valley also recorded pga exceeding 1.0 ''g''.<ref name="sig1994">{{cite web|title=Significant Earthquakes of the World 1994|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/significant/sig_1994.php|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=10 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222153119/https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/significant/sig_1994.php|archive-date=22 December 2009}}</ref> There were over 200 recordings of pga exceeding 0.01 ''g'', and the horizontal component pga was larger than average for a reverse-mechanism event. A possible explanation for the high pga is due to the large seismic moment release within a small fault rupture.<ref name="jstor1"/> A peak ground velocity (pgv) of {{cvt|148|cm}} per second was measured at a station in Granada Hills.<ref name="Luco19">{{Cite journal|url=https://www.structuremag.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/261906-C-Northridge25-Luco-1.pdf|title=Seismic design and hazard maps: Before and after|journal=Structure|year=2019|last=Luco|first=Nicolas|pages=28–30|publisher=National Council of Structural Engineers Associations}}</ref> At the Sylmar county hospital, {{cvt|15|km}} north–northeast of the epicenter, the pgv in the horizontal component was {{cvt|130|cm}} per second. South of the hospital, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Rinaldi Receiving Station recorded a pgv exceeding {{cvt|170|cm}} per second.<ref name="jstor1"/>

==Damage and fatalities== [[File:FEMA - 1702 - Photograph by FEMA News Photo taken on 01-17-1994 in California.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Building damage in Santa Monica, California|250px]] [[Image:Northridge earthquake 10 frwy.png|thumb|left|Crushed column (center) along section of Interstate 10 that collapsed]] thumb|Collapsed section (left of the police car) and sag leading to it [[Image:Kaiser Permanente Building After Northridge Earthquake.jpg|thumb|Kaiser Permanente building in Granada Hills]] thumb|Apartment building that collapsed onto its own footprint, crushing cars parked beneath it thumb|Buckled pavement thumb|Northridge Meadows apartment complex significantly damaged by the earthquake Damage occurred up to {{convert|85|mi}} away although it was concentrated in the west San Fernando Valley, and the cities and neighborhoods of Santa Monica, Hollywood, Simi Valley, and Santa Clarita. The Historic Egyptian Theater in Hollywood was red-tagged and closed as was the Capital Theater in Glendale due to structural damage. The exact number of fatalities is unknown, with sources estimating the number to be 60<ref name="USGS"/><ref name="Miller"/> or "over 60",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/usquakes.shtm|title=FEMA|access-date=2011-01-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315022428/http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/usquakes.shtm|archive-date=2011-03-15}}</ref> to 72,<ref name=latimes95>Reich, K. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-12-20-mn-16032-story.html Study raises Northridge quake death toll to 72.] ''Los Angeles Times'' December 20, 1995</ref> where most estimates fall around 60.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/topics/northridge-earthquake-of-1994|title=History Channel|access-date=2011-01-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726060204/http://www.history.com/topics/northridge-earthquake-of-1994|archive-date=2011-07-26}}</ref> The "official" death toll was placed at 57;<ref name=latimes95/> 33 people died immediately or within a few days from injuries sustained,<ref name=peek>{{cite journal|last=Peek-Asa|first=C.|year=1998|title=Fatal and hospitalized injuries resulting from the 1994 Northridge earthquake|journal=International Journal of Epidemiology|volume=27|issue=3|pages=459–465|doi=10.1093/ije/27.3.459|pmid=9698136|display-authors=etal|doi-access=}}</ref> and many died from indirect causes, such as stress-induced cardiac events.<ref name=kloner>{{cite journal|last=Kloner|first=R. A.|year=1997|title=Population-Based Analysis of the Effect of the Northridge Earthquake on Cardiac Death in Los Angeles County, California|journal=Journal of the American College of Cardiology|volume=30|issue=5|pages=1174–1180|doi=10.1016/S0735-1097(97)00281-7|pmid=9350911|display-authors=etal|doi-access=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Leor|first=J.|year=1996|title=Sudden cardiac death triggered by an earthquake|journal=The New England Journal of Medicine|volume=334|issue=4|pages=413–419|doi=10.1056/NEJM199602153340701|pmid=8552142|display-authors=etal|doi-access=free}}</ref> Some counts factor in related events such as a man's suicide possibly inspired by the loss of his business in the disaster.<ref name=latimes95/> More than 8,700 were injured including 1,600 who required hospitalization.<ref name="huduser.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.huduser.org/publications/destech/bigone/summary.html|title=Executive Summary|access-date=2007-06-08|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415021945/http://www.huduser.org/publications/destech/bigone/summary.html|archive-date=2013-04-15}}</ref> Actress Iris Adrian died in September 1994 from complications of a broken hip she suffered in the earthquake.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-iris-adrian-1440804.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-iris-adrian-1440804.html|archive-date=May 1, 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|title=Obituary: Iris Adrian|website=The Independent|date=October 23, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Sixteen people were killed as a result of the collapse of the Northridge Meadows apartment complex.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/northridge-meadows-earthquake-apartment-complex-collapse-rescue-california/635/|title=25 Years Later: The Desperate Search for Survivors at Northridge Meadows Apartments|publisher=NBC News Los Angeles|date=January 18, 2019|orig-date=January 15, 2019|type=with video}}</ref> The Northridge Fashion Center and California State University, Northridge also sustained very heavy damage – most notably the collapse of parking structures. The earthquake also gained worldwide attention because of damage to the vast freeway network, which serves millions of commuters every day. The most notable was to the Santa Monica Freeway, Interstate 10, known as the busiest freeway in the United States, congesting nearby surface roads for three months while the freeway was repaired. Farther north, the Newhall Pass interchange of Interstate 5 (the Golden State Freeway) and State Route 14 (the Antelope Valley Freeway) collapsed as it had 23 years earlier in the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, even though it had been rebuilt with minor improvements to the structural components.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/summer94/p94su26.htm|title=Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology|publisher=Federal Highway Administration|access-date=2006-03-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060403190003/http://tfhrc.gov/pubrds/summer94/p94su26.htm|archive-date=2006-04-03}}</ref> LAPD motorcycle officer Clarence Wayne Dean died because of the collapse of the Newhall Pass interchange, falling 40 feet from the damaged connector from southbound 14 to southbound I-5. He likely did not realize until too late in the early morning darkness that the elevated roadway had collapsed. The rebuilt interchange was renamed in his honor a year later.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-08-me-13206-story.html|title=Interchange Named for Officer Who Died in Quake|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=July 8, 1994}}</ref>

Additional damage occurred about {{convert|50|mi}} southeast in the city of Anaheim, located in Orange County, as the scoreboard at Anaheim Stadium collapsed onto several hundred seats.<ref name=LAT>{{cite news|first=Terry|last=Spencer|date=January 18, 1994|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-18-me-13025-story.html|title=Earthquake: Disaster Before Dawn: Scoreboard Crashes Onto Seats in Anaheim Stadium: Collapse: The 17.5-ton Sony 'Jumbotron' also destroyed a section of roof as it broke loose and fell to the left-field upper deck|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Most casualties and damage occurred in multi-story wood-frame buildings (such as the three-story Northridge Meadows apartment building). In particular, buildings with an unstable first floor (such as those with parking areas on the bottom) performed poorly.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Jon|last1=Schleuss|first2=Rong-Gong II|last2=Lin|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-11-22/los-angeles-soft-story-earthquake-building|title=Dangerous L.A. apartment buildings most at risk in an earthquake are quickly being fixed|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 22, 2019}}</ref> Numerous fires were also caused by broken gas lines from houses shifting off their foundations or unsecured water heaters tumbling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earthquakecountry.info/daretoprepare/stuff/waterheater.html|title=Secure Your Stuff: Water Heater|access-date=2007-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503132440/http://www.earthquakecountry.info/daretoprepare/stuff/waterheater.html|archive-date=2007-05-03}}</ref> Slope side homes supported on one side by a concrete foundation and stilts on the other were also prone to collapse such as in Sherman Oaks where nine stilt homes crashed down a slope, killing four.<ref name="NAHB1">{{cite report|author1=NAHB Research Center|title=Assessment of Damage to Residential Building Caused by the Northridge Earthquake|date=July 30, 1994|url=https://www.huduser.gov/PORTAL//Publications/PDF/earthqk.pdf|publisher=U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Policy Development and Research}}</ref><ref name="Aurelius1">{{cite report|editor1-last=Aurelius|editor1-first=Earl|title=The January 17, 1994 Northridge, CA Earthquake: An EQE Summary Report|year=1994|chapter=Residential Buildings|url=https://www.lafire.com/famous_fires/1994-0117_NorthridgeEarthquake/quake/00_EQE_contents.htm|work=EQE International}}</ref> In the San Fernando Valley, several underground gas and water lines were severed, resulting in some streets experiencing simultaneous fires and floods. Damage to the system resulted in water pressure dropping to zero in some areas; this predictably affected success in fighting subsequent fires. Five days later, it was estimated that between 40,000 and 60,000 customers were still without public water service.<ref name=Scawthorn>{{cite book|title=Fire Following Earthquake|year=2005|publisher=ASCE, NFPA|location=Reston, VA|isbn=978-0-7844-0739-4|url=http://www.asce.org/Product.aspx?id=2147485909&productid=5362|editor=Scawthorn|editor2=Eidinger|editor3=Schiff|access-date=2012-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928111244/http://www.asce.org/Product.aspx?id=2147485909&productid=5362|archive-date=2013-09-28}}</ref>

==Valley fever outbreak== An unusual effect of the Northridge earthquake was an outbreak of coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever) in Ventura County. This respiratory disease is caused by inhaling airborne spores of the fungus. The 203 cases reported, of which three resulted in fatalities, constituted roughly ten times the normal rate in the initial eight weeks. This was the first report of such an outbreak following an earthquake, and it is believed that the spores were carried in large clouds of dust created by seismically triggered landslides.<ref>Schneider, E., Hajjeh, R. A., ''Der Spiegel'', R. A., Jibson, R. W., Harp, E. L., Marshall, G. A., ... Werner, S. B. (1997). A coccidioidomycosis outbreak following the Northridge, Calif, earthquake. Jama, 277(11), 904-908.</ref> Most of the cases occurred immediately downwind of the landslides.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://landslides.usgs.gov/recent/archives/1997northridge.php|title=Coccidioidomycosis Outbreak|publisher=United States Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202114422/http://landslides.usgs.gov/recent/archives/1997northridge.php|archive-date=2014-02-02}}</ref>

==Facilities and infrastructure affected== ===Hospitals=== Eleven hospitals suffered structural damage and were damaged or rendered unusable.<ref name="huduser.org"/> Not only were they unable to serve their local neighborhoods, but they also had to transfer out their inpatient populations, which further increased the burden on nearby hospitals that were still operational.<ref>{{citation|title=Earthquake: The Long Road Back: Hospitals Strained to the Limit by Injured: Medical care: Doctors treat quake victims in parking lots. Details of some disaster-related deaths are released|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-19-me-13343-story.html|date=January 19, 1994|first1=Jack|last1=Cheevers|first2=Alan|last2=Abrahamson|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

As a result, the state legislature enacted Senate Bill 1953 to amend the Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act to require all hospitals in California to ensure that their acute care units and emergency rooms would be in earthquake-resistant buildings by January 1, 2005. Most were unable to meet this deadline and belatedly came into compliance during the 2010s.

===Television, movie, and music productions=== The production of movies and television shows was disrupted. At the time of the quake, before dawn on Monday morning, the Warner Bros. film ''Murder in the First'' (with Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, and Gary Oldman) was being filmed only {{convert|4|mi|spell=in}} from the epicenter. Production came to a halt. The main courtroom set was in shambles. The building containing the set was later "red tagged" as unsafe due to the damage it sustained.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} The ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode "Profit and Loss" was being filmed at the time, and actors Armin Shimerman and Edward Wiley left the Paramount Pictures lot in full Ferengi and Cardassian makeup, respectively.<ref name="ds9com">{{cite book |last=Erdmann |first=Terry J. |title=Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion |title-link=Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion |last2=Block |first2=Paula M. |date=2010 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-671-50106-8}}</ref> The season five episode of ''Seinfeld'' entitled "The Pie" was due to begin shooting on January 17 before stage sets were damaged. Also, ABC's ''General Hospital'' set at ABC Television Center suffered partial structural collapse and water damage.

An earthquake scene was written in the screenplay of ''Wes Craven's New Nightmare'' and the earthquake occurred in the middle of its production timeline. Subsequently, the production company, New Line Cinema, incorporated real-life footage of the earthquake aftermath into the final cut.<ref name="Buzzfeed">{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/how-new-nightmare-changed-the-horror-game|title=How 'New Nightmare' Changed the Horror Game|last=Peitzman|first=Louis|date=October 15, 2014|work=BuzzFeed|access-date=October 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Van Horn|first=Shawn|title=The Wes Craven Horror Movie That Survived an Earthquake|url=https://collider.com/wes-craven-new-nightmare-earthquake/|access-date=10 July 2024|work=Collider|date=24 February 2024}}</ref>

Some archives of film and entertainment programming were also affected. For example, the original {{cvt|35|mm}} master films for the 1960s sitcom ''My Living Doll'' were destroyed.<ref>Susan King, "[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-apr-04-la-et-living-doll-20120404-story.html The 'perfect' '60s woman]", ''Los Angeles Times'', April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012</ref>

In January 1994 Michael Jackson planned to record his new album ''HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' but due to the earthquake, which terrified Jackson, they were moved to New York at The Hit Factory.

===Transportation=== [[File:Collapsed freeway interchange, 1994 Northridge Earthquake.jpg|thumb|Complete failure of the Golden State Freeway at Gavin Canyon]]

Portions of a number of major roads and freeways, including Interstate 10 over La Cienega Boulevard, and the interchanges of Interstate 5 with California State Route 14, 118, and Interstate 210, were closed because of structural failure or collapse.<ref>{{cite news |last=Weinraub |first=Bernard |author-link=Bernard Weinraub |date=January 18, 1994 |title=The Freeways; Collapsed Freeways Cripple City Where People Live Behind Wheel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/18/us/earthquake-freeways-collapsed-freeways-cripple-city-where-people-live-behind.html |access-date=March 23, 2018 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Taylor |first=Alan |date=2014-01-17 |title=The Northridge Earthquake: 20 Years Ago Today – Info and images of collapsed freeways |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/01/the-northridge-earthquake-20-years-ago-today/100664/ |access-date=2019-06-25 |work=The Atlantic}}</ref> James E. Roberts was chief bridge engineer with Caltrans and was placed in charge of the seismic retrofit program for Caltrans until his death in 2006.

Rail service was briefly interrupted, with full Amtrak and expanded Metrolink service resuming in stages in the days after the quake. Interruptions to road transport caused Metrolink to experiment with service to Camarillo in February and Oxnard in April,<ref>{{cite news|last=Mitchell|first=J. E.|date=January 25, 1994|title=Camarillo Gets a Little Good News: MetroLink Is Coming|page=B6|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/clip/18580019/metrolink_to_camarillo/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 23, 2018}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Catania|first=Sara|date=April 4, 1994|title=Last of Post-Quake Metrolink Stations Opening in Oxnard|page=B5|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-04-me-42008-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=March 23, 2018}}</ref> which continues today as the Ventura County Line, and extended the Antelope Valley Line almost ten years ahead of schedule. Six new stations opened in six weeks.<ref name=history>{{cite book|last=Gbenekama|first=Delana G.|title=Metrolink 20th Anniversary Report|date=October 2012|publisher=HWDS and Associates, Inc.|pages=9, 48|url=https://www.metrolinktrains.com/globalassets/about/20thanniversery.pdf|access-date=May 21, 2018}}</ref> Metrolink leased equipment from Amtrak, San Francisco's Caltrain, and Toronto, Canada's GO Transit to handle the sudden onslaught of passengers. Amtrak ceased service in the Pasadena Subdivision following structural damage to a rail bridge in Arcadia and redirected all rail traffic through Riverside and Fullerton.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hymon|first=Steve|date=March 5, 2016|title=Photos: Gold Line Foothill Extension's opening day|work=thesource.metro.net|url=http://thesource.metro.net/2016/03/05/its-opening-day-for-the-gold-line-foothill-extension/|access-date=2016-03-09}}</ref> All MTA bus lines operated service with detours and delays on the day of the quake. Los Angeles International Airport and other airports in the area were also shut down as a two-hour precaution, including Burbank–Glendale–Pasadena Airport (now Hollywood Burbank Airport) and Van Nuys Airport, which is near the epicenter, where the control tower suffered from radar failure and panel collapse. The airport was reopened in stages after the quake.

===California State University, Northridge=== California State University, Northridge (CSUN), was the closest university to the epicenter. Many campus buildings were heavily damaged and a parking structure collapsed. Many classes were moved to temporary structures.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-15-mn-23235-story.html|title=Quake-Ravaged CSUN Reopens Amid Confusion|last1=Chandler|first1=John|date=1994-02-15|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2017-12-07|last2=Johnson|first2=John-Us|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> Much of the campus infrastructure was damaged and there were multiple fires and explosions throughout the campus.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Science Complex Explodes|last=Heistand|first=Jesse|year=1994|work=Daily Sundial}}</ref> The earthquake damaged several buildings and destroyed all communications, including telephone lines, and caused computer systems to shut down. Two CSUN students died at the Northridge Meadows Complex along with 14 other residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sundial.csun.edu/2014/01/former-and-current-csun-administrators-remember-the-1994-northridge-earthquake-aftermath/|title=20 Years after Northridge Earthquake, CSUN Is Not Just Back, Better|last=Saringo-Rodriguez|first=John|date=Jan 17, 2014|website=sundial.csun.edu}}</ref>

==== Campus damage ==== All 58 buildings on campus sustained significant damage, resulting in a $406 million recovery effort.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Education: Three-story Monterey Hall and Five-story Administration Structure Are among Last Campus Construction Projects Related to the 1994 Earthquake|last=Moore|first=Solomon|year=1999|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> The Oviatt Library experienced both interior and exterior damage, but the overall frame of the central part of the building remained stable, allowing student use to continue.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Temporary library may ease traveling headaches over hill|last=Collins|first=Michael|date=March 1, 1994|work=Daily Sundial}}</ref> In the Science Complex, Building #1 and #2 suffered fire damage while the bridges connecting buildings #3 and #4 were closed and named unstable.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Science Complex Explodes|last=Heistand|first=Jesse|date=January 24, 1994|work=Daily Sundial}}</ref> The University Tower apartments, Fine Arts Building and the South Library were damaged beyond repair and demolished. Photographs of the recently constructed Parking Structure C which collapsed became synonymous with the earthquake's effects on the university.<ref name="Torres1"/>

==== Classes and enrollment ==== The damage delayed the start of the 1994 Spring semester by two weeks. The campus mobilised 335 makeshift structures for its usage.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gallegos|first=Emma G.|title=Things You Might Not Have Known About The Northridge Earthquake|url=https://laist.com/news/northridge-earthquake|access-date=10 July 2024|work=LAist|date=17 January 2014}}</ref> Some 25 classes were held at Pierce College, LA City College and UCLA, while others were outdoors or in trailer buildings.<ref name="Torres1">{{cite news|last=Torres|first=Maria L.|title=Northridge Quake "Thrashed" CSUN, But the Campus Reopened and Thrived|url=https://sanfernandosun.com/2024/01/10/northridge-quake-thrashed-csun-but-the-campus-reopened-and-thrived/|access-date=10 July 2024|work=San Fernando Valley Sun|date=10 January 2024}}</ref> The campus was unable to use any of its classrooms because of the damage the buildings sustained. CSUN President Dr. Blenda Wilson assured the rental of temporary structures to be placed in available spaces throughout the campus. An estimated $350 million (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|350|1994|r=-1|fmt=c}} million today) was used to supply the number of trailers and domes which housed classes and administration offices. Enrollment dropped by approximately 1,000 students, leaving some homeless as dormitories were closed due to damage that rendered them unsafe and which required repair.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Slight Drop in CSUN Enrollment Attributed to Quake|last=Lebrun|first=Chris|date=February 24, 1994|work=Daily Sundial}}</ref> thumb|"An earthquake is the shifting of land, a force of nature that affects the natural, built and economic landscape." – Lauretta Wasserstein Sculpture Garden

==== External resources ==== The seismic event led to millions of dollars' worth of damage resulting in a sharp drop in student enrollment. CSUN received financial assistance for its efforts in reestablishing the damaged buildings with monetary gifts from the McCarthy Foundation, the Common Wealth Fund, and the Union Bank Foundation. In addition, the campus received a $23,000 check (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|23000|1994|r=-3|fmt=c}} today) from the ''Los Angeles Times Valley Edition'' for the journalism department.<ref>{{Cite news|title=CSUN Grateful for Grants and Donations|last=Kastle|date=March 1, 1994|work=Daily Sundial}}</ref> CSUN also received assistance from government agencies FEMA and OES to support the recovery effort and serve the needs of the local community.<ref>{{Cite news|title=FEMA Opens CSUN Office|last=Symes|first=Michael|date=March 1, 1994|work=Daily Sundial}}</ref> UCLA's Westwood campus opened their doors and allowed CSUN students to use their libraries while providing shuttle buses to and from the university.<ref name="Chandler1">{{cite news|last=Chandler|first=John|title=On the Road to Research : CSUN: Grateful students are shuttled to UCLA libraries. But there are problems.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-17-me-35343-story.html|access-date=10 July 2024|work=Los Angeles Times|date=17 March 1994}}</ref>

===Entertainment and sports=== Universal Studios Hollywood shut down the Earthquake attraction, based on the 1974 motion picture blockbuster, ''Earthquake''. It was closed for the second time since the Loma Prieta earthquake.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} Angel Stadium of Anaheim (then known as Anaheim Stadium) suffered some damage when the scoreboard fell into the seats,<ref name=LAT/> forcing a Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group off-road race at the ballpark to be postponed from that upcoming weekend to February 12.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shepard|first=Eric|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-19-sp-13202-story.html|title=Trojan Game Moved: Earthquake: USC will play Arizona State at Lyon Center because of possible damage.|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 19, 1994|access-date=March 15, 2022}}</ref>

===Other buildings=== {{Unreferenced section|date=July 2022}} Numerous Los Angeles museums, including the Art Deco Building in Hollywood, were closed, as were numerous city shopping malls. Gazzarri's nightclub suffered irreparable damage and had to be torn down. The city of Santa Monica suffered significant damage. Many multifamily apartment buildings in Santa Monica were yellow-tagged and red-tagged. An especially hard hit area was between Santa Monica Canyon and Saint John's Hospital, a linear corridor that suffered a significant amount of property damage. The City of Santa Monica provided assistance to landlords dealing with repairs so tenants could return home as soon as possible. In Valencia, the California Institute of the Arts experienced heavy damage, with classes relocated to a nearby Lockheed test facility for the remainder of 1994. The Los Angeles Unified School District closed local schools throughout the area, which reopened one week later. UCLA and other local universities were also shut down. The University of Southern California suffered some structural damage to several older campus buildings, but classes were conducted as scheduled. Pierce College suffered $2 million in damages, the most affected of the nine Los Angeles community colleges.<ref>{{cite news|title=Valley Perspective : Pierce College Deserves Community's Support : School Needs Neighbors' Sympathy, Earthquake Relief|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-27-me-39004-story.html|access-date=10 July 2024|work=Los Angeles Times|date=27 March 1994}}</ref>

==Aftermath==

=== Lifestyle disruptions in the weeks following === In the weeks following the quake, many San Fernando Valley residents had either lost their homes entirely or experienced structural damage too severe to continue living in them without making repairs. Although the vast majority of homes in the area, with the exception of a few particular neighborhoods, were relatively unaffected; many feared an aftershock to rival or exceed the severity of the first one. While a notable aftershock never came, many residents opted to stay in shelters or live with friends and family outside the area for a short time following.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/01/the-northridge-earthquake-20-years-ago-today/100664/|title=The Northridge Earthquake: 20 Years Ago Today|work=The Atlantic|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref>

While many businesses remained closed in the days following the quake, some infrastructure was not able to be rebuilt for months, even years later. The daily commute for many drivers in the weeks following was significantly lengthened, notably for those traveling between Santa Clarita and Los Angeles, and commuters on I-10 traveling to and from the Westside. Additionally, many businesses were forced to relocate or use temporary facilities in order to accommodate structural damage to their original locations or the difficulty accessing them. Some people even made temporary relocations closer to their jobs while their homes or neighborhoods were being rebuilt.

===State legislative response=== The Northridge earthquake led to a number of legislative changes. Due to the large amount lost by insurance companies, most insurance companies either stopped offering or severely restricted earthquake insurance in California. In response, the California Legislature created the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), which is a publicly managed but privately funded organization that offers minimal coverage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earthquakeauthority.com/|title=CA Earthquake Authority|access-date=13 April 2016}}</ref> A substantial effort was also made to reinforce freeway bridges against seismic shaking, and a law requiring water heaters to be properly strapped was passed in 1995.

===Engineering analysis=== The analysis of the effect of Northridge earthquake on behavior of structures has been investigated by many researchers. For example, the behavior of underground walls has been evaluated for the Northridge earthquake using numerical methods. The comparison of the seismic behavior of underground braced walls with ACI 318 design method reveals that bending moment and shear force of the walls under Northridge earthquake loads were observed to reach 2.8 and 2.7 times as large as the respective allowable limits. Therefore, caution should be taken in seismic design of diaphragm walls using ACI 318 code requirements.<ref name="Bahrami">{{cite journal|last1=Bahrami|first1=M.|last2=Khodakarami|first2=M.I.|last3=Haddad|first3=A.|title=Seismic behavior and design of strutted diaphragm walls in sand|journal=Computers and Geotechnics|date=April 2019|volume=108|pages=75–87|doi=10.1016/j.compgeo.2018.12.019|bibcode=2019CGeot.108...75B|s2cid=128226913}}</ref>

==In popular culture== * The Northridge Earthquake was the subject of the 1995 film ''Epicenter U.'', a first-hand account of healing from the natural disaster, directed by Alexis Krasilovsky.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-05-me-46791-story.html|title='Epicenter U.' Captures Earthquake Aftermath: Education: CSUN film students' work documents frustration, anxiety and hope that followed the devastating temblor|website=Los Angeles Times|date=October 5, 1994}}</ref><ref>Slater, Eric. "Student Cinema Verite Examines Earthquake," Los Angeles Times, Metropolitan Digest, October 11, 1994, p. B2.</ref> ''The Earthquake Haggadah'' (1995) was a video excerpt from ''Epicenter U.'' narrated by Wanda Coleman. Distributed in 3/4" and VHS by the Poetry Film Workshop circa 1998. Re-released as part of the DVD ''Some Women Writers Kill Themselves'' in 2008. * The Northridge earthquake was used as a plot device in the 2004 film ''A Cinderella Story''. The film is a modern retelling of the Cinderella classic starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray. In it, Duff's character, Sam Montgomery, lives in the San Fernando Valley with her father, stepmother, and two stepsisters. Her father, Hal, perishes in the quake trying to save her stepmother, setting the story in motion.<ref>{{cite news|last=Crust|first=Kevin|title=Midnight can't come too soon|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jul-16-et-cinderella16-story.html|access-date=1 March 2022|work=Los Angeles Times|date=16 July 2004}}</ref> * A song about the earthquake, set to the tune of "Happy Farmer", was featured in the ''Animaniacs'' episode "A Quake, A Quake!".<ref>{{cite web|last=Elliot|first=Austin|title=Yakko, Wakko, and Dot recount the Northridge quake|url=https://blogs.agu.org/tremblingearth/2013/01/21/yakko-wakko-and-dot-recount-the-northridge-quake/|publisher=American Geophysical Union|access-date=1 March 2022|date=21 January 2013}}</ref> * The title of the song play ''I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky'' by John Adams and June Jordan was a quote from an earthquake survivor.<ref>{{cite news|last=Maddocks|first=Fiona|title=I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky; Icarus at the Edge of Time; Don Giovanni|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jul/11/ceiling-sky-icarus-edge-don-giovanni-review|access-date=10 July 2024|work=The Guardian|date=10 July 2010}}</ref> The story's premise also takes places after an earthquake.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hamlin|first=Jesse|title=What's Shakin' with Adams And Sellars? / Composer and director team anew—this time with poet June Jordan—an earthquake-inspired love story / 'I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky'|url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/What-s-Shakin-With-Adams-And-Sellars-Composer-3033911.php|access-date=10 July 2024|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=7 May 1995}}</ref> * The single "California" from the 1996 Belinda Carlisle album ''A Woman and a Man'' features a verse specifically referencing the Northridge Earthquake: "Four in the morning we were in our beds/The swaying palm trees above our heads/Woke up to a primal rumbling sound/When the Northridge quake ripped open the ground/California, California".

==References== {{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=Yegian>{{cite web|url=http://www.coe.neu.edu/Depts/CIV/faculty/myegian/library/Thenorthridge%20Earthquake%20of%201994%20Ground%20Motions%20and%20Geotechnical%20Aspects.pdf|title=The Northridge Earthquake of 1994: Ground Motions and Geotechnical Aspects|access-date=2014-03-19|last1=Yegian|first1=M.K.|last2=Ghahraman|last3=Gazetas|first3=G.|last4=Dakoulas|first4=P.|last5=Makris|first5=N.|date=April 1995|page=1384|work=Third International Conference on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics|publisher=Northeastern University College of Engineering|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506100941/http://www.coe.neu.edu/Depts/CIV/faculty/myegian/library/Thenorthridge%20Earthquake%20of%201994%20Ground%20Motions%20and%20Geotechnical%20Aspects.pdf|archive-date=2013-05-06}}</ref> }}

==External links== {{Commons category|1994 Northridge earthquake}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20141006115519/http://www.data.scec.org/significant/northridge1994.html Southern California Earthquake Data Center] * [https://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/office/hudnut/hudnut/nr_eq.html USGS Pasadena] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030606195548/http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/office/hudnut/hudnut/nr_eq.html |date=June 6, 2003 }}) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060507073523/http://www.usc.edu/dept/civil_eng/Earthquake_eng/North_res/ USC Earthquake Engineering-Strong Motion Group] * [http://www.sacsteel.org/ SAC Steel Project (Study of welded steel failures)] * [http://www.educatedearth.net/video.php?id=2708 Helicopter Footage Filmed After The Quake] * [http://www.williamgbecker.com/1994NorthridgeEarthquake/AllPBMIntroduction.htm City of Los Angeles Re-survey of the San Fernando Valley] * [https://canyoncinema.com/catalog/film/?i=1358 Film "Epicenter U."] * [https://canyoncinema.com/catalog/film/?i=5485 Film "Earthquake Haggadah, The"] * {{EQ-isc-link|189275}}

{{Earthquakes in 1994}} {{Earthquakes in California}} {{Earthquakes in the United States}} {{Northridge, Los Angeles}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northridge Earthquake, 1994}} 1994 Category:1994 in California Category:Disasters in Los Angeles Category:Geology of Los Angeles County, California Category:History of Los Angeles Category:History of the San Fernando Valley Category:Northridge, Los Angeles Category:Santa Susana Mountains Category:1994 earthquakes Category:April 1994 in the United States Category:1994 natural disasters in the United States Category:January 1994 in the United States Category:Buried rupture earthquakes