Individual Event Report
| Event #257 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs |
In Umatilla, The Oregonian reports: "... a succession of earthquake shocks spread fear and consternation among the inhabitants here. Buildings were violently rocked and the earth trembled quite perceptibly. One of the walls of a large stone warehouse fell with a crash. The remaining left tottering will have to be torn down. Mr Harns, the Union Pacific agent, was passing the building at the time and barely escaped being buried in the debris."
The WPPSS document ( "WPPSS Nuclear Project No. 2, Final Safety Analysis Report, Volume 1, Amendment 18"
September 1981) says: "This appears to have been an earthquake of very limited extent, because no felt reports from Pendleton itself nor any towns in the surrounding area were found in the search of newpapers in Pendleton and Milton-Freewater, Oregon, and Yakima, Walla Walla, and Spokane, Washington." The largest circular area about Umatilla that excludes Pendleton and Yakima has an area of 7,800 km2. The intensity-felt-area plot ... shows that a 7,800 km2 area is compatible with an intensity (MM) V-VI but is an order of magnitude less than the felt areas associated with intensity (MM) VII earthquakes. Consequently, the intensity rating of this earthquake has been reduced to (MM) VI ..". Likely very shallow and very close to Umatilla. |
| 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 |
| 1893 |
3 |
6 |
|
|
P |
P |
46.00 |
119.00 |
|
4.10 |
MI |
Umatilla |
OR |
VI |
MM |
7800.00 |
|
km2 |
| RAS - 78 |
USEQS - 929 |
- |
WPPSS - 2356 |
WPPSS - 2356 |
WPPSS - 2356 |
Underlying Source Material
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 1279 |
Holden, E.S., 1898, A Catalog of Earthquakes on the Pacific Coast 1769-1897, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 1087 |
1898 |
|
| Transcription: 1893. March 6; Umatilla, Oregon. A succession of shocks were felt here tonight. One of the walls of a large stone building was thrown down by the force of the shock (VII?,VIII?). |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 819 |
Reid 2, unpub., Scrapbook and Cardfile, on microfilm at USGS in Menlo Park |
|
|
| Transcription: Umatilla March 5, 1893 VII |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 504 |
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: 1893 March 6. Umatilla. A succession of shocks were felt here to-night. One of the walls of a large stone building was thrown down by the force of the shock (VII? VIII?). |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 602 |
Reid, unpub., Scrapbook and Cardfile, on microfilm at USGS in Menlo Park |
|
|
| Transcription: Umatilla night, 6 March 1893 VII-VIII -Holden's Cat. pg 214 A succession of shocks |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 1572 |
The Oregonian |
1893 |
Mar 7, 1893; pg 2, c. 2 |
Transcription: 1893, March 5. Umatilla
Earthquake at Umatilla
Umatilla, Or., Mar 6--About 5:03 o'clock last evening a succession of earthquake shocks spread fear and consternation among the inhabitants here. Buildings were violently rocked and the earth trembled quite perceptibly. One of the walls of a large stone warehouse fell with a crash. The remaining left tottering will have to be torn down. Mr Harns, the Union Pacific agent, was passing the building at the time and barely escaped being buried in the debris. |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 2576 |
Washington Standard |
1893 |
March 10, 1893. p. 3, c. 6. Friday weekly; known from U.W. Library, Pacific Northwest Collection card catalog. |
| Transcription: An earthquake, Monday night, at Umatilla, Oregon resulting in the demolition of a stone warehouse. The frame buildings were not seriously injured. |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 929 |
U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96 |
1973 |
|
| Transcription: 1893 Mar. 6 17:03 Umatilla, Oreg 46 119 (2) VI-VII 3-53,25 |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 1709 |
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: 189303 5 45900-119333W VI WG 6 01 |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 361 |
Byerly, Perry, 1952, Pacific Coast Earthquakes, Condon Lecture, pp. 33-38 |
1952 |
U.W. Library, N979 B991p, Special Collections) |
| Transcription: 1893, March 6 Umatilla. Succession of shocks. One wall of a large stone building was thrown down. Not reported elsewhere. |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 1310 |
Berg and Baker, 1963, Oregon Earthquakes, 1841 through 1958, BSSA, V. 53, No. 1, pp. 95-108 |
1963 |
|
| Transcription: 1893 Mar 7 01:03:-- Mar 6 5:03 pm (PST) Umatilla VII 1;O/Mar 7, 1893, 2:2 May have been prior day. (O/Mar 7, 1893, 2:2) |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 78 |
Rasmussen, Norman, 1967, Washington state earthquakes 1840 through 1965, BSSA V. 57, No. 3, pp. 463-476 |
1967 |
|
| Transcription: 78 1893 Mar. 6 p.m. P.S.T. 46.0 N, 119.0 W VI-VII l |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 2356 |
Washington Public Power Supply System, "WPPSS Nuclear Project No. 2, Final Safety Analysis Report, Volume 1, Amendment 18"
September 1981 |
1981 |
p. 2.5-123 |
Transcription: (RSL comment: this material is extracted from the "WPPSS Nuclear Project No. 2, Final Safety Analysis Report, Volume 1, Amendment 18",
September 1981, Washington Public Power Supply System
p. 2.5-123)
The only other earthquake larger than intensity (MM) V
within 80 km of the site was the March 5, 1893 shock that
occurred near Umatilla, Oregon, about 62 km south of the
site. Townley and Allen (1939) reported the earthquake as
follows:
1893 March 6 (sic) umatilla. A succession of shocks
were felt here to-night. One of the walls of a large
stone building was thrown down by the force of the
shock (VII? VIII?) .
A VII? to VIII? Rossi-Forel (RF) intensity would correspond
to a (MM) VII? intensity.
The East Oregonian, (1893), Pendleton, newspaper of Monday,
March 6, 1893, had the following headline and article:
Earthquake at Umatilla - the little city in the sand
badly shaken up.
Umatilla, Oregon March 6 - At three minutes past 5
O'clock yesterday afternoon an earthquake shock lasting
several seconds passed over this section of the
country. One side of a large stone warehouse tumbled
down, and the building was so badly cracked on all
sides that it will have to be torn down. D. Harris,
agent for the Union Pacific, who was possessing the
building at the time, barely escaped being buried in
the debris.
This appears to have been an earthquake of very limited
extent, because no felt reports from Pendleton itself nor
any towns in the surrounding area were found in the search
of newpapers in Pendleton and Milton-Freewater, Oregon, and
Yakima, Walla Walla, and Spokane, Washington.
The largest circular area about Umatilla that excludes
Pendleton and Yakima has an area of 7,800 km2. The
intensity-felt-area plot, Figure 2.5-53, is based on data
from Table 2.5-6 and shows that a 7,800 km2 area is
compatible with an intensity (MM) V-VI but is an order of
magnitude less than the felt areas associated with intensity
(MM) VII earthquakes. Consequently, the intensity rating of
this earthquake has been reduced to (MM) VI in Table 2.5-5.
[RSL comment, 7/98: The felt area of 7,800 km2 yeilds a magnitude estimate of 4.1 when using the Toppozada (1976) relationship between felt area and magnitude: Mag(felt) = -1.88 + 1.53 log A; where A is the felt area] |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 988 |
U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96 |
1973 |
|
| Transcription: 1893. March 6. Umatilla, Oreg. Some damage to buildings. |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 2054 |
Leslie M. Scott, Memoranda of the Files of the Oregonian 1850-1910, Oregon Historical Society |
1910 |
Unpublished index to the Oregonian |
| Transcription: at Umatilla, March 5, 1893 |
| |
| | |