The most destructive earthquake in Santa Barbara history , and the first destructive earthquake in California since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , occurred on June 29 , 1925 , converting much of the town to heaps of rubble . While the quake 's epicenter was centered on an undetermined fault offshore , most of the damage came about due to two strong aftershocks which occurred onshore and five minutes apart . The intensity on the Modified Mercalli scale was determined to be VIII for the coast from Goleta , through Santa Barbara , and to Carpinteria
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
History of Santa Barbara, California