Loma Prieta

Loma Prieta (from Spanish loma -hill, prieta -dark) is a 3,790 feet (1,160 m) Northern California mountain in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The peak is on private property about 11 miles (18 km) west of Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County. The dirt road to the summit is gated, but the tower maintainers generally do not mind hikers.

A rural area south and east of the summit is sometimes referred to as Casa Loma, named for an unpaved road through the area. The name is unofficial but its use is supported by the existence of a Casa Loma Volunteer Fire Department in the area. Loma Chiquita Road also serves this general area near the Santa Cruz County line.

From 1976 through 1990 amateur astronomer Donald Machholz set up his telescope an average of 120 times a year on the south slope of this mountain to search for comets. From this site he discovered three new comets that bear his name, including Periodic Comet Machholz 1 96P/Machholz on May 12, 1986.

The first official West Coast Messier Marathon was conducted from this site in March 1979.

1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred in Northern California on October 17 at 5:04 p.m. local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park approximately 10 mi (16 km) northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of the San Andreas Fault System and was named for the nearby Loma Prieta peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. With a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), the shock was responsible for 63 deaths and 3,757 injuries. The Loma Prieta segment of the San Andreas Fault System had been relatively inactive since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (to the degree that it was designated a seismic gap) until two moderate foreshocks occurred in June 1988 and again in August 1989.

Damage was heavy in Santa Cruz County and less so to the south in Monterey County, but effects extended well to the north into the San Francisco Bay Area, both on the San Francisco Peninsula and across the bay in Oakland. No surface faulting occurred, though a large number of other ground failures and landslides occurred, especially in the Summit area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Liquefaction was also a significant issue, especially in the heavily damaged Marina District of San Francisco, but its effects were also seen in the East Bay, and near the shore of Monterey Bay, where a non-destructive tsunami was also observed.

Loma Prieta (band)

Loma Prieta (translates to "Dark Hill") is an American hardcore/post-hardcore band that formed in 2005. The group is based in San Francisco, California and derived their name from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Most of the group's early material was released on their own record label named Discos Huelga. Loma Prieta has toured the US, Mexico, Canada, Europe and Japan. They also share members with California thrashcore band Punch.

In June 2011, Loma Prieta recorded music for their fourth studio album with Jack Shirley. Their signing to Deathwish Inc. was announced in October 2011, and released their fourth studio album, titled I.V., through their new label on January 17, 2012. The album received positive reviews from AbsolutePunk,Alternative Press, and Exclaim!. Two music videos, for the songs "Fly by Night" and "Trilogy 4 - Momentary", have been released to promote I.V. In support of I.V., Loma Prieta toured New Zealand and Australia in January 2012, the United States with Birds in Row in March 2012 and North America with Converge and Git Some in April 2012. The band recorded and released a split with Raein in 2013.