Simon Winchester continues his discussion of geological history and assures us that a major earthquake along the west coast is inevitable. In the video, he talks about the San Andreas fault line and the Cascadia subduction zone which runs from California to Vancouver, B.C. The Cascadia fault would be under water which would create tsunamis.
Much area along the west coast is coastal highway with only one way out. The area is flat and if everyone tried to leave at once, the roads would become parking lots.
For every Winchester, there are nay-sayers who say “the big one” will not be like what happened in Japan. Further south, two nuclear plants, San Onofre and Diablo Canyon, both in Southern California, are built along fault lines. Both are built to withstand a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. That would not pass muster in last weeks Japanese quake. Those with California Emergency Management seem to be assured and us that they are ready. That statement seems to ignore the fact that even though something is very improbable, that doesn’t make it impossible.
We can only wait and see if the earthquake cluster theory has validity. There is also some concern on the part of geologists that the super-volcano Yellowstone is due for a dust up. Any eruption of Yellowstone would be disastrous for not just that region but the entire country and Canada because of fallout from the eruption.
Again, now is not the time to cut back on any safety precautions that can help us be ready to survive major attacks from Mother Nature, whether it is hurricane, tornado, and other storm rediction, or earthquake, volcano and tsunami warnings. Our very lives might depend on it. Looking back just 6 years should remind us of the ferocity of Katrina and how there are just some things you can never be totally ready for.
satan calls for nuclear power ban!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/15/956780/-Satan-Calls-for-Nuclear-Power-Ban
e, did you watch the video? It is very informative.
There are some blaming global war…uh, climate change for the earthquake and tsunami.
Tayyclayy noted her frustration by tweeting “An earthquake with an 8.9 magnitude struck Japan… And some say climate change isn’t real?!”
http://rightwingnews.com/2011/03/moonbats-attempt-to-link-earthquake-to-global-warming/
Sad, really…..
Discovery (or was it Science) Channel the other night had a program on about the next “big one” – the focus was not California, the focus moved north to Seattle. Interesting program as it addressed how a shift in the plates on the Pacific Rim would impact more to the north of California…although still affecting that area.
What made it more interesting was the program was made before the two recent quakes in New Zealand and Japan.
Oh, and as my friend Al Alborn pointed out, there is no looting or rioting going on in Japan. That is intersting and points well to their culture. Wonder if the “big one” occured if the same could be same in the U.S.?
@Raymond Beverage
MH pointed that out first a few posts ago. 🙂
Anyway, I am about to sound ignorant, but isn’t CA always at risk for earthquakes? Does it matter if it’s part of a cluster since they need to be alert at all times anyway? I realize it is helpful to try to plan for these things, but I am not sure the cluster theory is something to argue about. It’s like arguing about global warming. In the end, it doesn’t matter if there is global warming or not. The fact is, if we don’t find alternative fuels, we are going to choke ourselves in more ways than one. Whether we believe in global warming or not isn’t the real issue. It’s kind of like atheists and Christians arguing about whether or not there is a God. It doesn’t matter what you believe so long as you aren’t out there murdering people, robbing banks, etc. We really need to let the arguments go and focus on what’s important right now, and right now, it’s finding basic solutions without focusing on philosophy. We need to be pragmatic. How can we all live peacefully without killing ourselves or each other?
Yeah, I know. It’s not that simple, right?
@Raymond Beverage
The Japanese are not looting and rioting.
That right there explains the lack of violent crime, especially gun crime. They are used as an example of “successful” gun control because of the lack of gun murders per capita. I submit that every Japanese could own an arsenal and the result would be the same.
Its culture, not tools.
@Cargosquid
Agree.
We might get to see how far this idea of culture stretches as hardship worsens.
Apparently, it’s part of a cluster all right!