The Great Bakersfield Earthquake of 1952

A Catastrophic Event that Shook California

A Series of Devastating Aftershocks

WEB The strongest aftershock in the sequence came on August 22 as a magnitude 5.8 event with a maximum perceived intensity of VIII Severe.

WEB The most significant of the aftershocks was the M w 5.8 1952 Bakersfield earthquake, which occurred just a month after the main event on August 22.

WEB Though only about the fifth strongest of the aftershocks of the July 21 Kern County quake, the earthquake of August 22 caused a significant amount of additional damage.

WEB However, when the Bakersfield Earthquake hit at 4:52 am on July 21, 1952, with up to 4 feet of elevation change, it caused severe damage to the city of Bakersfield and the surrounding area.

WEB Seismic activity shook chandeliers and nerves for 33 long days that summer, culminating in what we remember today as the Great Bakersfield Earthquake.