when was the northridge california earthquake
- Special Publication 116, The Northridge, California, Earthquake of 17 January 1994, Edited by Mary C. Woods and W. Ray Seiple, 1995, California Department of Conservation Division of Mines and Geology, 801 K Street, Sacramento, California, 95814-3531, University of California, Davis, February 1, 1996. The Northridge Earthquake The Northridge Earthquake. On the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake centered in Northridge hit the Los Angeles area, collapsing several buildings, destroying stretches of freeways, and sparking several fires in the area. At final count, the quake resulted in at least 57 deaths and rendered about 125,000 people homeless.