November 18, 2008
California Shaking
Between the rampant wildfires and last week’s Great Southern California ShakeOut (an earthquake drill), I’m glad I chose to make my home in Washington, D.C. instead of Los Angeles. Here there are no earthquakes, no fires and only the occasional hurricane.
What really got my attention last week, though, was an animation from the USGS of a magnitude 7.8 scenario earthquake on the San Andreas Fault in southern California. The worst of the seismic waves travel north along the fault, but some of the most intense shaking also heads straight for Los Angeles.
Here’s the animation that shows the seismic waves traveling:
And here is another animation, 1000 times exaggerated, that shows how the seismic waves will shake LA:
More simulations are available at the USGS’s site.
(Animations courtesy of USGS)
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Having lived in California for 21 years, and left three times (the last time I stayed gone) because of the earthquakes – this reminds me why I left. In 1985 or 1986 Governor Brown and the American Red Cross required that all businesses over with 50 people hold a meeting of all employees regarding earthquake preparedness. The meeting was given by ARC and you had to sign that you had attended. To this day I remember that the person opened the meeting with “This is (date) … from here on in you are living on borrowed time.” That got my attention. The meeting went downhill from there. We were told we had to have a three day supply of food and water, a blanket or sleeping bag and walking shoes by our desk. My kids and I moved back to NJ where I was born when school got out in June and I haven’t been back since. Having the ceiling come down on me at work during a less than moderate quake was enough – I’ll stay someplace safer, thank you.
What’s there to say? I’ll cross my fingers.
Thanks for the animations. At least I’ll know what’s going on as the world collapses around us.
Wow, this was a terrific demonstration, especially the time line. Mel
Cool simulations. This helps illustrate earthquakes I’ve experienced. First, you hear a distant rumble. You wonder, is that a plane? Or an earthquake. When it does arrive, you feel as if you’re on a boat rocking in a tumultuous sea. What I don’t understand is how all that rocking and rolling does so little damage. How is it possible for concrete, solid and flat one moment, to move like the ocean, then return to it’s previous form? How is it that glass windows will flex and bend, but not break?
The probability of this happening is at least 100 time more likly than the oceans rising 100feet due to global warming. Where is the concern? the plans? puplic outrage?
This is beyond way cool. Please send it to Arnold, who seems to be a reasonable man, and all the FEMA people that you have on your list. We know that the area is primed for something big, but everyone seems to be more interested in heading to the beach or to Disneyland. One big problem in California is that earthquake preparedness always seems to take a back seat to fire control, because the fires come every year. But the “big one” will make the summer fire season seem like small peanuts.
Thank you for this simulation.
MJ Seibert
we moved from California 1971 after 6.2 earthquake to Chicago,were they had small earthquake also,so then we moved 1974 to Phoenix Arizona.THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE.The summer is our winter at least we do not have snow only at the mountains during the winter so we can have a white Chirstmas, and we enjoy it.We love it here.I do not understand why people stay were it is not safe.