Earthquake!

On June 29, 1925, at 6:44 a.m., a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Santa Barbara, California, killing 13 people and damaging 85% of its downtown buildings. Three brave and quick-thinking utility workers immediately cut power and gas to the entire city, preventing widespread fires, saving lives, and shielding Santa Barbara from further destruction.

This gave engineers and seismologists a rare laboratory for studying seismic damage without fire obscuring the destruction patterns. What they learned led Santa Barbara to adopt comprehensive seismic building codes. But the city didn't just build back safer. By mandating both earthquake-resistant construction and a unified Spanish Colonial Revival style, Santa Barbara was reborn as an iconic coastal destination.

⏱️ Timestamps

INTRODUCTION

00:00 – Welcome

00:20 – 100th Anniversary of 1925 quake

1925 EARTHQUAKE FACTS

00:35 – Date, time, magnitude

00:46 – Deaths and Damage

01:13 – Economic Impact

01:28 – No Widespread Fires

02:26 – Lessons Learned from the Damage

03:04 – Rebuilding Safer and Beautifully

SANTA BARBARA TODAY

03:49 – Iconic Coastal City

04:14 – Santa Barbara County Courthouse

CLOSING

04:47 – Closing Message

📚 Learn More

🔗 QuakeFeed Substack: 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake

https://quakefeed.substack.com/p/1925-santa-barbara-earthquake

📱 Download QuakeFeed for Real-Time Alerts

Stay informed and safe – get the QuakeFeed app now:

https://apps.apple.com/app/quakefeed-earthquake-alerts/id403037266

Subscribe to QuakeFeed Premium for the full range of features – including Historical Earthquakes. It's free for 30-days for first-time subscribers.

🌍 Connect with Us

Substack: https://quakefeed.substack.com

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@QuakeFeed

Instagram: https://instagram.com/QuakeFeed

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/QuakeFeed

🙌 Support the Show

If you found this episode helpful, please rate, review, and share it. Your support helps others stay informed and prepared.

🎵 Music By Soularflair

Bio on FMA: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Soularflair/bio

CC-BY License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

A quick update from QuakeFeed HQ! Here's what we've been working on:

• "On This Day in Earthquake History" — now available as Substack posts and podcast episodes.

• QuakeFeed v6.5.5 is out now! This update includes links to our "On This Day" Substack and podcast content.

• Preparing for Apple's "Liquid Glass" — a major iOS redesign is coming in September 2025. Learn more here.

• Plus: A a few quick safety reminders to help you stay prepared.

INTRODUCTION

00:00 – Welcome

00:10 – What's in this episode

NEW CONTENT FROM QUAKEFEED

00:25 – Relaunch of QuakeFeed Podcast

01:02 – QuakeFeed Substack

01:15 – On This Day in Earthquake History

01:35 – Earthquake Safety Tip

QUAKEFEED APP UPDATE

02:10 – QuakeFeed v6.5.5 Update

02:45 – Major iOS Redesign: Liquid Glass

03:20 – Preparation for Liquid Glass

03:50 – How to Send a Support Request

WILDFIRE SAFETY INFO

04:00 – Wildfire Data Sources

04:45 – Who updates the wildfire databases?

04:55 – New, Fast-Moving Fires: Possible Time Delay

05:32 – Know How to Stay Informed in Emergencies

05:55 – Sign-up for Local Emergency Alert System

CLOSING

06:20 – Closing Message

▶️ Apple: Introducing Liquid Glass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGztGfRujSE

Stay informed and safe – get the QuakeFeed app now:

https://apps.apple.com/app/quakefeed-earthquake-alerts/id403037266

Subscribe to QuakeFeed Premium for the full range of features – including Historical Earthquakes. It's free for 30-days for first-time subscribers.

Substack: https://quakefeed.substack.com

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@QuakeFeed

Instagram: https://instagram.com/QuakeFeed

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/QuakeFeed

If you found this episode helpful, please rate, review, and share it. Your support helps others stay informed and prepared.

Bio on FMA: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Soularflair/bio

CC-BY License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Join Linda, James, and Sequoya as they honor dads everywhere with earthquake-themed dad jokes – we're talking truly groan-worthy puns about tectonic plates, fault lines, and confused pets trying to figure out earthquake drills. This special Father's Day episode pays tribute to James's late father, a legendary math teacher and swim coach who brought humor into everything he did.

For a limited time, we've also replaced the ads in QuakeFeed's earthquake list with these same dad jokes – and many more! Because while earthquakes are serious business, your earthquake app doesn't have to feel grim all the time.

Download QuakeFeed from the iOS App Store to track earthquakes, wildfires, and volcanoes – now also with a side of family humor.

Psst... Not a dad joke fan? QuakeFeed Premium subscribers can turn them off and get a completely joke-free experience.

Psst again... Already a Premium subscriber but you actually WANT the jokes? Don't worry – just turn them on in QuakeFeed's settings menu!

INTRODUCTION:

00:00 – Welcome

01:50 – Why we made this episode

HISTORICAL CONTEXT:

02:50 – "Mount Fuji of the Pacific Northwest"

04:00 – Mount St. Helens Wakes Up

THE TWO MEN

06:40 – Meet Harry R. Truman

08:30 –Truman Refuses to Evacuate

11:20 – Meet David A. Johnston

12:15 – Johnston's Bravery

13:00 – Red Zone Established

MAY 18, 1980 ERUPTION SEQUENCE

13:45 – Earthquake, Landslide, Lateral Blast

15:35 – Johnston's Last Radio Transmission

16:00 – Truman's Fate

16:35 – Gerry Martin's Radio Transmission

17:20 – Photos of Landslide and Lateral Blast

19:00 – Plinian Eruption

19:50 – Lahars

AFTERMATH & IMPACT

21:05 – Economic Impact

21:30 – Advances in Scientific Understanding

22:10 – Public Safety Lessons

CLOSING

23:20 – Closing Thoughts

24:25 – What's Next

▶️ Mount St. Helens – Full Playlist on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO683wv5Jx1EmLc_-N7vTUyw8mtNJNgJP

▶️ Gary Rosenquist Sequence – AI Animated

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNlP9TGZOMI ▶️ Remembering David Johnston

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg2rufseJ_w 🔗 From Quiet Mountain to Cataclysm

https://quakefeed.substack.com/p/from-quiet-mountain-to-cataclysm

Stay informed and safe – get the QuakeFeed app now:

https://apps.apple.com/app/quakefeed-earthquake-alerts/id403037266

Subscribe to QuakeFeed Premium for the full range of features – including the Erupting Volcanoes map layer. It's free for 30-days for first-time subscribers.

Substack: https://quakefeed.substack.com

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@QuakeFeed

Instagram: https://instagram.com/QuakeFeed

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/QuakeFeed

If you found this episode helpful, please rate, review, and share it. Your support helps others stay informed and prepared.

🎵 Music By Soularflair

Bio on FMA: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Soularflair/bio

CC-BY License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We exhaust our repertoire of tectonic plate jokes while introducing the following topics: the earth's layers, what are tectonic plates, three types of plate boundaries, plate boundaries vs faults, and how earthquakes happen.

This is a brief overview to lay the groundwork. (… pun intended!) Future episodes will dive deeper.

INTERACTIVE LESSON We explain how to use the QuakeFeed app to locate plate boundaries and faults on the Quake Map. Download QuakeFeed from the App Store

ASK THE SCIENCE KID We answer an interesting question about earthquakes in Antarctica.

Our goal is to inspire CURIOSITY!

We hope you and your family enjoy our lighthearted humor while learning something new about this AWESOME planet we call home.

LINKS TO LEARN MORE

The Great ShakeOut: Join 14+ million people on October 21st by practicing how to be safer during earthquakes. https://www.shakeout.org

IRIS Earthquake Science: Earthquake Faults, Plate Boundaries, & Stress https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HxRVJPXNLM

USGS: Do earthquakes occur in Antarctica? https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/do-earthquakes-occur-antarctica USGS: Listening to the Earth at the South Pole (QSPA) https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/earthquake-hazards/science/listening-earth-south-pole

*NOT A FULL EPISODE* Just a quick announcement about QuakeFeed v5.1.0, available now in the App Store. This update adds three new features: USA Wildfires, Map Legend, and Aftershock Forecasts.

The USA Wildfires data layer requires a QuakeFeed Premium subscription. While viewing the map, tap on a wildfire symbol to view detailed information, such as: acres burned, percent contained, how many buildings were destroyed, how many firefighters are fighting it, etc.

The Map Legend and Aftershock Forecasts features are included in the free / ad-supported version. You will find the Map Legend button in the top right corner of the map. The USGS Aftershock Forecasts are linked in Quake Details. NOTE: The USGS only publishes aftershock forecasts for larger earthquakes. These quakes will include the words "Aftershock Forecast" in the Quake List, to let you know that it is available.

Next month, we will add more more wildfire features to QuakeFeed Premium, such as wildfire alerts and a wildfire list view.

We hope to get back to full podcast episodes soon. We have been coping with a family medical emergency for the past several months. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

We hope you enjoy QuakeFeed v5.1.0. If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, please tap the ? in the top right corner of QuakeFeed then tap Ask to send us a support email.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll learn how to protect yourself in an earthquake!

When the shaking starts, what should you do? We use a bit of humor to help you remember that Drop, Cover and Hold On reduces your chance of injury in an earthquake. We also dispel some common myths about earthquake safety. We hope you enjoy. Stay safe!

Links for more learning:

Drop, Cover, Hold On | Shakeout.org https://www.shakeout.org/dropcoverholdon/

EARTHQUAKE SAFETY VIDEO SERIES

If You're Near a Sturdy Desk or Table https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSDmqLQmMN0&t=9s

If There's NO Sturdy Desk or Table https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxMCoE0CIcA

If You're in Bed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I922_UR8hpM

If You Have a Mobility Disability https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZtDYlOfwrQ

LA Story earthquake scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yz2RC9C1tM

Linda and Sequoya travel through time to April 14, 1906 and visit San Francisco. They ride a cable car down Market Street and see a bustling, prosperous city. Next, they travel forward four days and witness the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The devastating M7.9 quake and the fire that followed took 3,000 lives and destroyed 80% of the city. It also marked the dawn of modern scientific earthquake research in the United States.

If you're curious to learn more, explore the links below.

A trip down Market Street before the fire https://www.loc.gov/item/00694408/

A Trip Down Market Street, 1906 - 4k, Colorized, 60fps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ok_lwYyHWo

Rediscovered film takes a trip through San Francisco in ruins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm1XSX8Un5Q

San Francisco earthquake and fire, April 18, 1906 https://www.loc.gov/item/00694425/

The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/events/1906calif/18april/

Devastation of 1906 San Francisco Earthquake https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/devastation-1906-san-francisco-earthquake

1906 San Francisco earthquake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_San_Francisco_earthquake

Elastic rebound with Single Block Model https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYQLIpo4kwk

Elastic Rebound Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB6jl37LbqA

Earthquake Intensity—What controls the shaking you feel? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP7gKXLjqxk

Mercalli Intensity Scale Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHSJcYDaKlc

New Map Reveals Ships Buried Below San Francisco https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/map-ships-buried-san-francisco

Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoyed our podcast!

Be one of the first 20 people to send us feedback and we'll send you an offer code for one year of QuakeFeed Premium! Here's how: In QuakeFeed, tap the ? in the top right corner and then tap Ask to send us a message. Tell us your thoughts - what you did or didn't like, or any other feedback you have.

Coming soon, a new podcast about earthquake science and safety. Are you curious about what causes the earth to shake? Do you know how to stay safe when it does? Join us to learn the answers to these questions and more. We'll also share interesting stories about historical earthquakes and discuss notable quakes that happened recently.