Cascadia Catalog 1793-1930

	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 #37 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs
The Olympia Pioneer Democrat says "although no damage was done that we are aware of, buildings and their loose contents were considerably shaken, and some of our more nervous neighbors no little alarmed." George Gibbs (1874) gives further information : "A very distinct shock was noticed at Olympia on the 2nd of April, 1859, at 2:30 A. M. Mr. James Tilton, Surveyor General of the Territory, describes its force as about equal to the the effect of a sixty-mile-an-hour gale upon a frame house. The crockery rattled, and many persons were awakened. There was but one shock, which lasted eight or ten seconds. The night was calm, and thr tremor well defined, undulatory, and suggestive of the motion of a ship at sea. A lady living in Olympia informed me that a pivot glass in her bedroom was made to swing so much as to attract her notice. The direction was S.W." Townley and Allen do not list this event.
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
1859	4	2	2	30	A	L	47.00	123.00				Olympia	WA	V	MM
JOURN - 1213							USEQS - 911		-	-		RAS - 3				-

Underlying Source Material

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
2587	Pioneer Democrat	1859	April 8, 1859. p. 3, c. 1, Friday; known from U.W. Library, Pacific Northwest Collection card catalog.
Transcription: A Shock - About five minutes after 2 o'clock on Saturday morning last, a shock of an earthquake was sensibly felt by the citizens of this locality. Its continuance is said to have been about 1 1/2 minutes - the oscillations being apparently from north to south. The night was perfectly calm and although no damage was done that we are aware of, buildings and their loose contents were considerably shaken, and some of our more nervous neighbors no little alarmed. This is the first visitation of the kind here in the the recollection of that celebrated individual "the oldest inhabitant".

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
1624	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: 185904 21030000 47045-122890W V R 5 01

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
3	Rasmussen, Norman, 1967, Washington state earthquakes 1840 through 1965, BSSA V. 57, No. 3, pp. 463-476	1967
Transcription: 3 1859 Apr. 2 10:30 Olympia V 1,12

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
1213	Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York	1874	Gibbs, George. "Physical Geography of the Northwestern Boundary of the United States - Earthquakes", Vol. IV, 1874, pp. 298-392.
Transcription: Gibbs, George. "Physical Geography of the Northwestern Boundary of the United States - Earthquakes", JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, VOL. IV, 1874, pp. 298-392. "These have evidently been of frequent occurrence, as they do not excite much astonishment among the Indians. Duflot de Mofras mentions one which was felt at Fort Vancouver, December 2, 1841, at 4 P. M. They experienced these oscillations, of a second or more, and in a direction north and south. Mr. Yale, in a letter to me, says: `We had two that might have attracted the attention of the geologist. Both occurred after the eruption of Mount Baker. The first was tremulous, and caused some dilapidation of tottering things; but its greates pecularity was perhaps the loud report that preceded or attended it, and the roaring noise, which continued for some time ... The other was undulatory, and did some injury to the foundation of our house. It seemed to have come from the westward, and to have left in its trail a cold, disagreeable, smoky vapor. Both occurred in winter. That of December 26th was felt here, but I believe slightly, ...' The last one was of December 26, 1856, which was very perceptible at Port Townshend, where I then was, jarring the house like the fall of some heavy body. It was felt by Mr. Warbass at Whidbey's Island, and the Indians told him `that the earth was rising.' A very distinct shock was noticed at Olympia on the 2nd of April, 1859, at 2:30 A. M. Mr. James Tilton, Surveyor General of the Territory, describes its force as about equal to the the effect of a sixty-mile-an-hour gale upon a frame house. The crockery rattled, and many persons were awakened. There was but one shock, which lasted eight or ten seconds. The night was calm, and thr tremor well defined, undulatory, and suggestive of the motion of a ship at sea. A lady living in Olympia informed me that a pivot glass in her bedroom was made to swing so much as to attract her notice. the direction was S.W.".

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
2011	Leslie M. Scott, Memoranda of the Files of the Oregonian 1850-1910, Oregon Historical Society	1910	Unpublished index to the Oregonian
Transcription: at Olympia, April 4, 1859

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
911	U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96	1973
Transcription: 1859 Apr. 2 02:30 Olympia, Wash 47 123 (l) V 32

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
2404	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: 1859 Apr 1 Olympia, Wash. WG-1

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
970	U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96	1973
Transcription: 1859. April 2. Olympia, Wash. Crockery rattled; many were awakened. The Surveyor-General of the territory described its intensity as about equal to the effect of a 60 mile-per-hour gale upon a frame house.