| Earthquake and Year | Richter Magn. |
Mod. Mercalli Inten. |
Fault Length | Deaths | Damage millions$ |
Syzygy (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Fernando, CA Feb 9, 1971 |
6.4 | X | 8 miles | 65 | 50 | FMe + 0 |
| Southern Alaska Mar 27, 1964 |
8.4 | X | 450 miles | 125 | 10 | FM + 0 |
| Hebgen Lake, Montana Aug 17, 1959 |
7.1 | X | 14 miles | 28 | 11 | FM + 0 |
| Kern County, CA Jul 21, 1952 |
7.7 | XI | 14 miles | 12 | 60 | NM + 0 |
| Long Beach, CA Mar 10, 1952 |
6.3 | X | undersea | 102 | 50 | FMe + 0 |
| Last column provided by Jim Berkland. Note that all five of these "representative quakes" struck on the very day of a syzygy and two of them accompanied lunar eclipses, which are perfect syzygies. Statistically, there is one chance in 15 that any given earthquake will coincide with a syzygy. For all five to coincide, the chances are 1/15(to the 5th power) = 1:759,000. Coincidence? | ||||||