There is no shortage of earthquakes in Southern California. On any given day this area sees numerous earthquakes, though most are barely even felt. The concern here is what will happen when another earthquake occurs in a large dense area such as Los Angeles County, California. One question concerns earthquake preparedness of residents in this region. Do residents know what to do in order to prepare for an earthquake? Are residents prepared for a medium to large sized earthquake? Another question is, how prepared are buildings when it comes to the shaking from a medium to large earthquake? Will these buildings protect residents and employees, or do they pose a severe threat when faced with another earthquake?
The following paper is on the economic effects of the Cascadia subduction fault line earthquake. This earthquake is predicted to happen within the next fifty years, and it's predicted to devastate everything west of Interstate 5. The earthquake can range from a 8.0 magnitude to a 9.2 magnitude, and will impact "some hundred and forty thousand square miles... and some seven million people" (Schulz).
Have you noticed the amount of natural disasters that have occurred lately? Recently, natural disasters have been happening such as hurricane Harvey, Irma, and the 7.1 magnitude earthquake Mexico experienced. Sadly, California could be next to be hit from an earthquake.
The 9th of February 1971 an earthquake occurred in the lower parts of the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California. The San Fernando earthquake was measured to have a magnitude of around 6.5, which caused severe damage to buildings and major freeways in the Los Angeles area. Two huge health care buildings in San Fernando caused the majority of deaths when they collapsed at both sides. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the mountains and the most severe damages occurred in northern San Fernando Valley. However, the event impacted other densely populated areas in Los Angeles and caused huge difficulty for transportation as a result of failure in several roadways and freeway interchanges.
On August 24, 2014 a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred in and around the city of Napa, CA. The earthquake killed one person and injured over 150 people. And these people were treated at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa [1]. More and more earthquakes occurred on this earth. So this grasps people’s attention.
The San Andreas Fault is one of the most widely studied faults in the world. Scientists use an array of methods in collecting data and providing analysis of fault characteristics both past and present. Presently there are many differing hypothesis and models used to describe crustal movements and deformation within the Pacific and North American plate boundary. Historical earthquakes along this fault have proven to be rather large and devastating. This is important since the San Andreas Fault runs along many highly populated areas throughout Northern and Southern California. Through further research and analysis of this fault system scientists hope to solve
There have been impacts of natural hazards on Sandy throughout the city’s history. There have been many records of floods in the past and some very minor earthquakes. There are still dangers of floods and earthquakes, and many people live on the fault line, where it is expected to have a huge earthquake in about 50 years. This large earthquake could destroy many homes and neighborhoods and will cost the city a substantial amount of money to repair all of the damages.
Northern California. High intensity shaking was felt stretching from Salinas Valley to Eureka on the North Coast. The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was one of the worst and most fatal earthquakes in both California’s and the United States’ history.
Every time the earth shakes or I see bubbles in a glass of tap water the question comes to mind, why? Growing up in California earthquakes are a common occurrence, people from other states joke about California falling off into the ocean. This is something most of us Californians have accepted and continue to wait for the big one to happen. As with earthquakes, I never gave a second thought about our drinking water until now. I find I question the taste of it and make sure the filters are changed out on a regular basis. Now reading and listening to the news reports about what’s happening in different parts of the world regarding Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking and what it’s doing to the earth and ground water in those areas is disturbing.
California’s unique geography as a state makes it a very appealing place to call home. From the odd east to west transverse San Gabriel mountain ranges of the Los Angeles Basin, to the bumpy coastal ranges of the Bay Area, any person can find a compatible topographic terrain to their liking. California may seem to be the perfect place to live with its ideal climate and extensive geographic features. However, due to California’s location over the shifting continental plates, coupled with its enormous and also multiple faults, at any time this great state can fall victim to a seismic disaster. After examining evidence from both Rong-Gong Lin’s II Los Angeles Times article of April 18, 2016 and the NOVA videos Killer Quake ( 2006), Earthquake (2007), as well as Geologic Journey II – Episode 3 (The Pacific Rim: Americas) – Part 3 (San Francisco) and The Great San Francisco Earthquake (American Experience ~ 2005), one can take a comparative account of the three major earthquakes of California’s past. Although each earthquake was very devastating on is own; the Great Quake 0f 1906, the Loma Prieta quake of 1989, and the NorthRidge quake of 1994 each amounted to an extensive forfeiture of property and life. Each of these earthquakes created much suffering and loss. It is imperative for each citizen of this great state to understand the damage that a California quake can actually do and be prepared; for the threat of one always looms.
Fault. As I researched, the reality of the potential effects to our state came into light. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I had ever even heard of the New Madrid Fault. It could have been mentioned in my 7th grade Earth Science class, but that’s been a few years ago. As my internet investigation into the New Madrid Fault unfurled, the predictions of a massive earthquake happening in the region within the next 50 years was mentioned a number of times. So I thought I would begin my research into the history of the New Madrid Fault in regards to our state. Which lead me to think is our state prepared for an earthquake? What would the response be, not only from an emergency management point of view, but I will draw from my experience as a member of the Air National Guard.
Have you ever been in a deadly earthquake? In 2013, the people of the Philippines experienced one. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake that affected around 43,000 people with 2,211 aftershocks that ended up killing a total of 185 people. Earthquakes are known as one of the most dangerous natural disasters. This horrific event happened October 15th, 2013. The earthquake hit hardest in the central Philippines, it was reported to be caused by the East Bohol Fault. People act in a response to a natural disaster by gathering resources, spreading word, and government aid.
The Northridge earthquake in southern California used a bottom up process. The local and state government reacted swiftly and then the federal Government stepped up immediately after. The earthquake reached a magnitude of 6.7 and the rumblings were felt across the state impacting 214,000 square Kilometers. Rescue missions and inspections were done right after the quake and directed local citizens to safe areas. Even though the government reacted appropriately there was a small gap between the population and the governmental action. Citizens overestimated the relief efforts and felt that they were unable to address some of the critical issues cause by the earthquake. People in California were used to disasters and handled the situation to the
My inference is that California is at a very high risk from earthquakes and needs better earthquake safety for buildings and houses. This is because California is located to be a fault line named San Andreas.The type of plate boundary that this fault is on is a transform tectonic plate.This fault line is lined up all around the coast of California and is the sliding boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.Although.According to an article named the San Andreas fault by David K. Lynch “And despite San Francisco’s legendary 1906 earthquake, The San Andreas Fault does not go through the city. But communities like Desert Hot Springs, San Bernardino, Wrightwood, Palmdale, Daly City, lies squarely on the fault and are sitting
Although some of their earthquakes killed more than expected and caused more damage, San Francisco has learned from these mistakes and have designed stronger and more earthquake proof buildings and bridges. They have opened an Earthquake Simulator at the California Academy of Sciences to show what earthquakes actually feel like. US $400 million were lost due to the damage done in the earthquake.