By Douglas V. Gibbs
California takes earthquake drills very seriously. The engineering put into the retrofitting of our structures means that many of the buildings will remain standing even in the event of a major earthquake. Retrofitting has not been provided for all structures, however. Therefore, there will still be massive damage to California cities.
The Oregon Coast may not be as prepared, and the middle of America does not expect any problems at all with earthquakes, considering their distance from the ring of fire. Sure, there is the New Madrid fault, which released four of the largest North American earthquakes in recorded history. The earthquakes, thought to be between 7.0 and 8.0 in magnitude, all occurred in a three-month period between December 1811 and February 1812.
Last Thursday a 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit Greenbrier, Arkansas. The north-central Arkansas quake is one of the largest tremblers to hit the region in over a century. It was the fourth such event of a 3.0 magnitude or greater to strike the region in the last few months.
There have been nearly 1,000 quakes in the region since September, including the largest quake to hit the state in 35 years, a magnitude 4.7 on February 27.
Along the California border with Nevada a swarm of earthquakes occurred this afternoon. The strongest quakes measured magnitude 4.0 and 4.2. More than two dozen smaller quakes have struck in the same general area this afternoon.
Earlier this week Japan was struck again with a greater than 7.0 magnitude quake, and Mexico was struck by a quake greater than 6.0.
The earthquakes in various places have caused alarm, and in California discussions about "the big one" have resumed.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
3.6 Magnitude Quake Hits North-Central Arkansas - My Fox Memphis
Swarm of quakes reported along California-Nevada border - Los Angeles Times
No comments:
Post a Comment