On August 19, 2011, George and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary like any pair of geology geeks would: on the San Andreas Fault. :) This adventure was a big one as we trekked into the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park near Santa Cruz. On October 17, 1989, at 5:04 PM PDT, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area killing 63 people and injuring 3,757. The epicenter of the quake was located here in the park at 37.040 degrees N, 121.877 degrees W. The quake was named for the nearby Loma Prieta Peak, which lies 5 miles to the northeast in Santa Clara County. We hiked approximately 6 miles round trip and gained about 600 feet in elevation. I stopped at .6 miles from the epicenter, as the remainder of the trail to the epicenter was not stable. George ended up trekking the rest of the way, fighting banana slugs (!) and unstable logs. Overall, we had a great adventure. I definitely suggest taking this trip, as it is a very historical location.
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the epicenter |
to the epicenter |