Loma Prieta: Looking Back on the Earthquake 33 Years Later

The epicenter of the earthquake was located roughly nine miles northeast of Santa Cruz

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The Loma Prieta Earthquake jolted the Bay Area and beyond 33 years ago Monday, shaking buildings from their foundations, flattening a stretch of freeway in Oakland and dislodging a section of the Bay Bridge.

Take a look back at the devastating earthquake below.

When and where was the Loma Prieta Earthquake?

The earthquake struck at 5:04 p.m. on Oct. 17, 1989.

Baseball fans across the Bay Area were gearing up to watch Game 3 of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics when the quake struck on the San Andreas Fault near Loma Prieta peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The epicenter was located roughly nine miles northeast of Santa Cruz and 60 miles south-southeast of San Francisco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Shaking was said to have lasted for about 15 to 20 seconds, and people as far away as San Diego and western Nevada reportedly felt it, according to the California Department of Conservation.

Aftermath: The Loma Prieta Earthquake

What was the magnitude of the Loma Prieta Earthquake?

Loma Prieta was a 6.9 magnitude quake.

Loma Prieta Earthquake causalities

The earthquake left 63 people dead and injured more than 3,700 others.

We asked people to share their story and what happened to them at the exact moment the Loma Prieta earthquake hit on October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m..

Loma Prieta Earthquake damage

The quake damaged an estimated 18,300 houses, according to the conservation department. Another 963 were destroyed. The shaking also damaged nearly 2,600 businesses and wiped out 147. 

Tremors caused a portion of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge to collapse onto the lower deck, leaving the vital transportation artery unusable for about one month. The upper deck of the nearby Cypress Freeway in Oakland also came crashing down in an instant, crushing cars on the freeway's lower level. Forty-two people were killed.

Over in San Francisco, the soft soil of the Marina District gave way. Homes toppled, gas lines ruptured and blazes ignited.

Brick buildings in downtown Santa Cruz crumpled.

We take a look at how different the Bay Area looks, 30 years after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit.

Bay Area Revelations: Loma Prieta Earthquake, 30 Years Later

If you'd like to learn more about the Loma Prieta Earthquake, watch the full Bay Area Revelations episode. It includes interviews with survivors, first responders and unsung heroes who experienced one of the strongest earthquakes to rattle the region in decades.

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