Question 1

True or false: The earthquake occurred because of a rupture along the San Andreas Fault.

Accepted Answer

True. Correct. The fault slipped about 20 feet near San Francisco, causing the magnitude 7.9 quake. This was key to developing plate tectonics theory.

Question 2

True or false: The earthquake struck at midnight, catching most residents asleep in their homes.

Accepted Answer

False. False. It struck at 5:12 a.m., when many were still in bed, but dawn was breaking. The timing actually reduced the death toll slightly.

Question 3

True or false: During the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, most of the destruction came from fire, not the earthquake itself.

Accepted Answer

True. True. The quake ruptured gas lines, sparking fires that burned for days. Over 80% of the city was destroyed by flames, not shaking.

Question 4

True or false: The 1906 earthquake was the deadliest in U.S. history, killing over 10,000 people.

Accepted Answer

False. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake killed around 3,000 people. The deadliest disaster in U.S. history was the 1900 Galveston hurricane, which killed an estimated 6,000 to 12,000.

Question 5

True or false: Only a few hundred buildings collapsed, as most were built to withstand shaking.

Accepted Answer

False. False. Thousands of buildings collapsed or were damaged, especially unreinforced masonry. The city’s building codes were lax before 1906.

Question 6

True or false: In the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many insurance companies refused to pay claims for fire damage, arguing that the fires were caused by the earthquake, which was excluded from standard policies.

Accepted Answer

True. After the quake, insurers invoked earthquake exclusions to deny fire claims, contending the quake caused the fires. This led to extensive litigation, though firms like Lloyd’s of London paid all claims.

Question 7

True or false: After the quake, the U.S. Army dynamited buildings to create firebreaks, but this sometimes spread the fires.

Accepted Answer

True. True. Army dynamiting was intended to create firebreaks, but inexperienced soldiers and improper techniques often caused new fires that worsened the blaze.

Question 8

True or false: The earthquake was felt from Oregon to Los Angeles and as far east as Nevada.

Accepted Answer

True. True. The shaking was remarkably widespread, covering about 350,000 square miles, though intensity varied greatly with distance.

1906 San Francisco earthquake Trivia Questions