Is this what San Francisco will look like in a few years?
Tremors within the Earth are usually–but not always–related to the activity of a volcano. Now, such vibrations have been recorded nowhere near a volcano, but at a geologic observatory at the San Andreas Fault.
Scientists believe the fault tremors may be related to activity at a subduction zone–a place where one of Earth’s constantly moving tectonic plates slips beneath another.
Here’s the presumption that the tremors aren’t volcanic in origin.
“Unlike the sharp jolt of an earthquake, tremors within Earth’s crust emerge slowly, rumbling for longer periods of time,” said Kaye Shedlock, program director for EarthScope at the National Science Foundation (NSF), which funds the project. “Although not in this case, tremors are usually produced by magma moving in cracks or other conduits beneath a volcano.”
The observatory is smack between Long Beach and San Francisco; but, the article doesn’t clarify where along the SA Fault the tremors initiate. Maybe they don’t know, yet.
I don’t especially care for “what-if” stories — or “what-if” questions for that matter — but I couldn’t resist this one. I figured it would be a hoot to jack up folks in the Bay Area. Like John.
It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when. The West coast is overdue for a big quake. If that doesn’t scare you there is a huge mass of magma simmering below Yellowstone that could blow anytime (today or in the next 1000 years). When it does blow, it will take a bigh chunk off the west with it and make life for the rest of North America quite umpleasant.
Blah Blah Blah… one less California city.
The SA fault is not a subduction zone and has not been for a really long time (I forget the actual number, but hundreds of thousands of years). It is merely a strike/slip (or transverse) fault which delineates the border between two plates sliding past one another
North of Eureka is the subduction zone, the source of the active volcanoes of the Cascades. One plate is diving below another in this region. It is always possible that a new volcano could form in the Coast Ranges north of a line between Mt. Lassen and Cape Mendocino (the point on the coastline).
The Mammoth Caldera if formed by a different mechanism and is not a subduction zone volcano.
I’m no geologist, but I play one on the web. For reliable info, go to quake.usgs.gov or nationalgeographic.com (see this month’s issue).
Did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express, last night?
Can we blame this on global warming?
I say lets blame Bush.
Google earth and the USGS have a cool thing going on right now about the California faults and the 1906 quake.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/virtualtour/
Plus livescience has some great scenerios of quakes in California and Yellowstone volcanic action and whats going on in both places at this moment.
All this makes me wish I had majored in Geology.
I say lets blame Bush.
I’m with you on this one !!! Here is one that the Republicans have no way of blaming on Clinton.
Fusion – Sure we can blame it on Clinton. The “fault” was there while he was in office.
8 Rus
OK, but Clinton was having people go down to relieve some of the pressure.
The 1906 earthquake… let’s blame it on Clinton too… after all, we blame the failed war on Iraq, the utterly incompetent response to natural disaters, the trade deficit, out of control spending and national deficits, the failed war on drugs, and even Disco on Clinton… might as well blame stuff that happened before he was born on him too… it is what we hear on “Fox Propaga”… ooops.. make that “Fox News” is saying all the time.
Fox News: the three monkey channel.
omg fusion….that was a terrible pun……lmao
Overall I’m sick of hearing that Clinton is to blame for anything. Bush has been in office for how long? If he hasn’t take care of it, then it’s because he agrees with it.
I wonder how much of the Homeland WMD budget has been spent to plan for this possiblity, I betting none? Another good question is how much has Californa set aside for this possiblity? Our Governments seems to only be able to help Buisness bring in illegal-aliens to take our jobs and under cut our wages, when something that really is their responsibility it always comes to light that the money was spent instead on either social welfare programs or was pocketed by some relative of some government official, ie, New Orleans dikes.
At least if San Fransico goes, it’ll take the “United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit” with it. There always is a silver lining.
#7 through #12.
I’m sorry everyone. I accept the blame for taking this off topic. This is supposed to be about a really hot subject, with eruptions, spewing lava, rocks blowing off. This is SAN FRANSISCO people !!! Lets get back on topic here.
#13 – Fusion: I am guilty also. I allowed you to sucker me in to going OT.
As to SF. We’ve been hearing this for years but that was also said about New Orleans and hurricanes. There were more realistic scenarios about NO, compared to SF is going to fall in the ocean. We still have a lot to learn about earthquakes and volcanoes. We found faultlines unknown to us after the last major quake in the LA area.
It’s bound to fall off soon. There are just too many illegals weighing on the economy of the bay area and western California in general. It has already created a gigantic black hole…in the economy, which is sucking us all in.