On January 26, 1700, the largest earthquake known to have occurred in the lower 48 United States rocked Cascadia, a region 600 miles long that includes northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia.
The number of major earthquakes for 1999 was above normal, and quake-related casualties were double the annual average, according to premilimary figures issued in early January by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).