Each year, the southern California area has about 10,000 earthquakes. Nearly all of them are so small that they are not felt. Only several hundred are greater than magnitude 3.0, and only about 15–20 are greater than magnitude 4.0. The magnitude 6.7 1994 Northridge earthquake was particularly destructive, causing a substantial number of deaths, injuries, and structural collapses. It caused the most property damage of any earthquake in U.S. history, estimated at over $20 billion.
How many earthquakes does southern California experience in a year? Generally speaking, what size are the earthquakes that hit southern California? What magnitude was the 1994 Northridge earthquake? What kind of destruction did the 1994 earthquake cause the most of in US history? How much was the 1994 earthquake estimated to have cost?