Progressive Era: 1890–1920s: Effects of 1906 Earthquake
Click image to zoom in.Or view larger version. Untitled. 1906. Unknown photographer. Gelatin silver print. Collection of Oakland Museum of California.
This photograph shows a man standing in a buckled part of Sixth & Howard streets in San Francisco, California after the 1906 earthquake. The buckling and damage of streets were the result of landfills made of loose earth, old timbers, rocks and other debris that were used to fill in portions of the bay. When the earthquake hit, the landfill lacked cohesion and it was transformed into unstable ground. This process is known as liquefaction.