LIDAR image (light detection and ranging) of part of the Hayward Fault, shown in red, as it cuts through Berkeley. The fault splits the UC Berkeley football stadium. Credit: USGS, public domain
Living through the Loma Prieta Earthquake
By Alka Tripathy-Lang
October 21, 2021
On October 17, 1989, Harold Tobin, then a graduate student at UC Santa Cruz, was walking out the back door of the Earth Science building on campus when the ground began to shake. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the building move and the windows vibrate. Rattling noises followed him as he stumbled his way along a paved path, trying to stay on his feet as Earth’s unstable surface attempted to overthrow him. The majestic redwood trees for which the campus is known rained down debris. The shaking lasted for no more than 10 or 15 seconds, he says, but it felt like an eternity.
Check out the rest of the story at Temblor.