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Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog, 1793-1929
Covering Washington, Oregon and Southern British Columbia

Provided by: The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
About the Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog       One-line catalog format

1793-1849 .... 1850s .... 1860s .... 1870s .... 1880s .... 1890s .... 1900s .... 1910s .... 1920s .... 1930s (not complete) .... Other Cascadia Catalogs

  
Individual Event Report
Event #22 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs                                           
Explosion Account originates in Holden (1887); and is repeated in other catalogs: "1846-52; exact date not given. In Oregon City, on Rock Creek, near Portland, Oregon, explosions like those of a cannon were heard for nearly the whole of a day. At first these were about half an hour apart; then they came nearer together, until at last they were no further apart than one minute or so; finally they died away. The water in Rock Creek did not run for three days.-Verbal account of Geo. J. Ainsworth, Esq."
TIME LOCATION MAGNITUDE MAX. INTENSITY FELT AREA
YR MO DAY HR MIN AM/PM Time
Type
LAT(N) LON(W) DEP
(km)
MAG Mag
Type
Felt
Plc.
Felt
St.
Inten-
sity
Int.
Type
Felt
Area
Felt
Area
Int.
Felt
Area
Units
1846              45.35  122.59        Oregon City  OR           
HOLD1 - 420 WWC - 1621 - - HOLD1 - 420 -

Underlying Source Material
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1621  Woodward Clyde Consultants, unpublished  1981  Woodward-Clyde Consultants (1981), Historical Catalog (1841-1980) for the Pacific Northwest Region, unpublished catalog prepared for the Washington Public Power Supply System. Copy provided to UW in 1993. 
Transcription: 1846 45357-122598W BB 01
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1289  Berg and Baker, 1963, Oregon Earthquakes, 1841 through 1958, BSSA, V. 53, No. 1, pp. 95-108  1963   
Transcription: 1846-1852 - - - - Oregon City - 10 Exact date not known. Explosions like that of a cannon were heard almost a whole day and water in Rock Creek failed to run for three days. (10)
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
420  Holden, Edward S., 1887, List of Recorded Earthquakes in California, Lower California, Oregon, and Washington Territory  1887  Printed by Direction of the Regents of the University of California, Sacremento, California, 
Transcription: 1846-52; exact date not given. In Oregon City, on Rock Creek, near Portland, Oregon, explosions like those of a cannon were heard for nearly the whole of a day. At first these were about half an hour apart; then they came nearer together, until at last they were no further apart than one minute or so; finally they died away. The water in Rock Creek did not run for three days.-Verbal account of Geo. J. Ainsworth, Esq.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
585  Reid, unpub., Scrapbook and Cardfile, on microfilm at USGS in Menlo Park     
Transcription: Oregon City 1846-52 (exact date no given) -Holden's Cat. pg 36 Explosions like those of a cannon were heard nearly all day. At firt they were half hour apart.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
559  Smith, W. D., 1919, Earthquakes in Oregon, BSSA, V. 9, n. 3, pp. 58-71  1919   
Transcription: l846-52. Exact date not given; Oregon City. In Oregon city, on Rock Creek, near Portland, explosions like those of a cannon were heard for nearly the whole of a day. At first these were about half an hour apart; then they came nearer together, until at last they were no further apart than one minute or so; finally they died away. The water in Rock Creek did not run for three days.-Verbal account of George J. Ainsworth.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
478  Townley, S.D. and M.W. Allen, 1939, Descriptive Catalog of earthquakes of the Pacific Coast of the United States 1769 to 1928, Chapter II, Earthquakes in Oregon--1846-1928, BSSA, V. 29, No. 1, pp. 253-258.  1939   
Transcription: 1846-52. Exact date not given. In Oregon City, on Rock Creek, near Portland, explosions like those of a cannon were heard for nearly the whole of a day. At first these were about half an hour apart; then they came nearer together, until at last they were no further apart than one minute or so; finally they died away. The water in Rock Creek did not run for three days. - Verbal account of Geo. J. Ainsworth, Esq. [It is quite possible that these sounds were not due to earthquakes.]
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
2401  Washington Public Power Supply System, "WPPSS Nuclear Project No. 2, Final Safety Analysis Report, Volume 1, Amendment 18"
September 1981 
1981  Table 2.5-6 
Transcription: Oregon City, Ore occurred between TA
1846 and 1852
 


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