United States Earthquakes 1934

UNITED STATES EARTHQUAKES 1934 SERIAL No. 593 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY - WASHINGTON U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Daniel C. Roper, Secretary COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY R. S. PATTON. Director Serial No. 593 UNITED STATES EARTHQUAKES 1934 BY FRANK NEUMANN Senior Mathematician UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON 1936 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. ----Price 15 cents CON TENTS Page Introduction i Noninstrumental results 5 Earthquake activity in the various States_ 5 Northeastern region 7 EateriïregioiY 8 Central region 9 Western mountain region 13 California and western Nevada 18 Washington and Oregon 36 Alaska 38 Hawaiian Islands 40 Philippine Islands 40 Puerto Rico 41 Panama Canal Zone 41 Miscellaneous activities 42 The Utah earthquake of March 12, 1934 43 The Parkfield earthquake of June 7, 1934 48 The Panama earthquakes of July and August, 1934 51 Seismological observatory results 57 Strong-motion seismograph results 61 Introduction 61 List of shocks recorded and records obtained on strong-motion seismographs in 1934 63 The western Nevada earthquake of January 30, 1934 63 The Parkfield earthquake of June 7, 1934 66 The earthquake of July 6, 1934, near Eureka 69 The Panama earthquake of July 17, 1934 71 The San Francisco Bay region earthquake of October 2, 1934 73 The Imperial Valley earthquake of October 15, 1934 75 The Lower California earthquake of December 30, 1934 75 Earthquake of December 30, 1934, near Santa Cruz 79 The Lower California earthquake of December 31, 1934 81 Summary of strong-motion seismograph data for the year 1934 88 Instrumental constants of strong-motion seismographs in 1934 90 Descriptions of strong-motion seismograph stations 93 Tilt observations 98 Additions and corrections to previous publications 98 ILLUSTRATIONS Earthquake epicenters, 1934 6 Area affected by the northern New York earthquake of April 14,193& 7 Area affected by the Texas-Oklahoma earthquake ofApril 11, 1934 - 9 Area affected by the Nebraska earthquake of July 30, 1934 11 Area affected by the Rodney, Mo., earthquake of August 19,1934_ 12 Area affected by the Utah earthquake of March 12, 1934 14 Areas affected by the California earthquakes of January 9, June 5, 6,7, 7, July 6, December 30; Lower California earthquakes ofDecember 30, 31; and the western Nevada earthquake of January 30facing 20 Fault scarp north of Kosmo showing how opposite sides of scarpfit together.Utah earthquake 44 Mud cones developed along fractures about one-eighthmile west of Kosmo. Utah earthquake 44 Diagram showing relation between faults and terraces. Utahearth- quake 45 Water issuing from fault on salt fiat northeast of Kosmo.Utah earthquake 46 III IV CONTENTS Page Wrecked water tank. Puerto Armuelles yard. Panama earthquake- 54 Railroad track shifted out of alinement at Puerto Armuelles. Panama earthquake 54 Velocity curves computed from Bishop accelerograph record of Janu- ary 30 65 Displacement curves computed from Bishop accelerograph record of January 30 65 Tracings of strong-motion seismograph records of western Nevada earthquake, January 30 67 Tracings of strong-rnotion sèisfnograph records of Parkfield earthquake, June 7 68 Tracings of strong-motion seismograph records of Parkfield earthquake, Juflé 7, and Eureka earthquake, July 6 70 Tracings of strong-motion seismograph records of Eureka earthquake of July 6 and Panama earth quake of July 17 72 Tracings of strong-thotion sei'Smograpl) records of the San Francisco Bay region earthquakè of October 2, the Imperial Valley earthquake of October 15, and the Santa Cruz earthquake of December 30 - - - 74 Active portiOn of thè El Centro accelerograph record of the Lower CalifòTnia earthquake of December 30 77 Tracings of strong-motion seismograph records of the Lower California earthqüakè of December 30 78 Tracings of strong-motion seismograph records of the Lower California earthquake of December 30 80 Tracings of strong-motion seismograph records of the Lower California earthquake of December 31 83 TraCings of strong-motion seismograph records of the Lower California eàrthquake of December 31 84 Tracings of strong-motion seismograph records of the Lower California earthquake of December 31 86 TraCings of strong-motion seismograph records of the Lower California eárthquake of December 31 87 UNITED STATES EARTHQUAKES, 1934 INTRODUCTION This publication is a summary of earthquake activity in the United States and the regions under its jurisdiction for the calendar year 1934.The period up to 1927 for the United States is covered, for all except minor earthquakes, by Special Publication No. 149 of the Bureau, "Earthquake History of the United States Exclusive of the Pacific Region", and by several publications for the Pacific region. These include the Holden and McAdie catalogs,' Special Publication No. 191 of the Bureau, "Destructive and Near-Destructive Earth- quakes in California and Western Nevada, 1769-1933", and a forth- coming publication of the Seismological Society of America. The period from 1928 on is covered by the series to which the present publication belongs. Earthquakes of volcanic origin in the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands are not included, and only severe shocks are included in. the case of the Philippine Islands as complete reports are published by the Manila Central Observatory.Earthquakes adjacent to the United States and felt within its borders are described only in a general way when detailed descriptions are published elsewhere. Cooperation of investigators solicited.In order that these publications may be as complete as possible in the more important details of earthquakes and in references, it is desired that investigators cooperate to the fullest extent, as such cooperation will be to the mutual advantage of everyone concerned. The Bureau is willing to furnish investigators all information at its disposal consisting prin- cipally of seismographic records and post-card questionnaires obtained in many instances through special canvassing of affected areas.In return it is requested that preferably advance notices be furnished of results obtained so that abstracts and references may be inserted with due credit given the sources. An advance notice of a planned investigation might save considerable overlapping of effort and would give wider publicity to the work of the investigator The noninstrumental information has been furnished by a large number of individuals and organizations whose voluntary cooperation has made it possible to prepare descriptions of the earthquakes of this country with a compieteness and accuracy never before attained. Lack of space prohibits giving individual credit to all of the coop- erators.The principal sources of information are as follows: United States Weather Bureau. Central office of the Jesuit Seismological Association of St. Louis, Mo. The Seismological Office of the San Francisco Field Station of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, cooperating with the Seismological Laboratory of the Car- 1Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 1089.A Catalog of Earthquakes on the Pacific Coast, 1709-1897.Edward S.Holden.Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 1721. Catalog of Earthquakes on the Pacific Coast, 1897-1901.Alexander G. McAdie. :1. 2 COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY negie Institution and California Institute of Technology (H. O. Wood, research associate, in charge), University of California (Perry Byerly in charge of the seismological station), and Stanford University. Among the commercial agen- cies on the west coast rendering valuable services are telephone, power, oil, railroad, and, especially insurance companies.Certain concerns interested in the earthquake-resistant qualities of their products are also active, together with various organizations of structural engineers and architects. The large number of reports received from Alaska is due largely to the efforts of Dr. C. E. Bunnell, president of the University of Alaska. Press dispatches received through the courtesy of Georgetown University. Telegraphic reports collected by Science Service, Washington. Bulletins of the Seismological Society of America. Interested individuals in various parts of the country. In addition to the above sources of information, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, or its seismological office at San Francisco, can- vasses areas affected by shocks of unusual intensity.In this way the extent and the maximum intensities of all heavy shocks are deter- mined and the data are usually sufficient to construct isoseismal maps or, at least, maps of the affected areas. The seismological station of the University of California, Berkeley, and the seismological laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the California Institute of Technology, at Pasadena, cooperate actively in the canvassing program arranged especially for the Pacific coast region. Notes on the regional cart hqvaice tabulations .T he destructive features of all shocks are enumerated in the abstracts, but otherwise the descriptive matter is reduced to a minimum. The original reports re open for inspection by anyone interested in unpublished details. For 1934 more detailed descriptions of earthquakes on the west coast will be found in mimeographed reports available at the San Francisco afield station. l3eginning with the 1931 number of this series, Serial No. 553, the Coast and Geodetic Survey has used and will continue to use the modified Mercalli intensity scale of 1931, in place of the Rossi- Forel scale, to designate the

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