100 Years Later - The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

As a once practicing geologist, I could not let this day pass without recognizing the anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. I had an opportunity to visit one of the more obvious surface features caused by the quake which is located not far from the information center at Point Reyes National Seashore along the Earthquake Trail. For anyone who has studied the 1906 quake, you will typically see a textbook photo of a fenceline that was offset by the displacement caused by the quake along the San Andreas fault. That fenceline can be seen at Point Reyes although I suspect it may have move just a little in the past 100 years.

Last year I also had the good fortune to visit one of the few structures left standing after the 1906 temblor. The San Francisco Mint, called "the Granite Lady" opened for business in 1874 and because of its massively think walls and steel window shutters survived the quake and subsquent fires. This building is literally a fortress and will hopefully be renovated within the next year. Thanks to friend Gil Castle who was the past Mint Executive Director in charge of renovation, I was able to see the Mint’s vaults and classical design. Don’t miss it when it opens to the public.

If you are interested in seeing some of the activities/festivities marking the event, the 1906 Centennial Alliance has created a map showing the various events (Caution…another Google mashup). And be sure not to miss the great resources provided at the USGS website.