The '' ' Fort Tejon earthquake ' '' occurred at about 8:20 AM ( Pacific time ) on January 9 , 1857 . It ruptured the San Andreas Fault for a length of about , between Parkfield and San Bernardino . Displacement along the fault was as much as 9 meters ( 30 feet ) in the Carrizo Plain but less along the Palmdale section of the fault , closest to Los Angeles . The amount of fault slip gives this earthquake a moment magnitude of 7.9 , comparable to that of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . Based on the ( uncertain ) distribution of foreshocks for this earthquake , it is assumed that the beginning of the fault rupture ( the epicenter ) was in the area between Parkfield and Cholame , about 60 miles northwest . Nevertheless , it is usually called the " Fort Tejon " earthquake because this was the location of the greatest damage , most of the area being unpopulated at the time
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Fort Tejon