Oh boy. Not what I really want to read just before going to bed. I’m likely to have dreams of falling into giant cracks* that open up under you no matter where you run. Did you have those when you were a child? I did. That one, and a slightly different version that involved a volcano, where….
Oh, wait. Back to the point. A report has come out with carefully researched projections from geophysicists and other scientists and other experts about what can happen here in Southern California during the Big One, which is due (46% chance of 7.4 magnitude or larger in next 30 years). Go on…Scare yourself**.
-cvj
*Photo of cracks in the ground (click for larger) is of dried mud in Death Valley in March of this year, not of some earthquake-devastated landscape.
**From the US Geological Survey, reported on AP, via Yahoo News.
Thanks for the info LL and Clifford!
Hi LL… Thanks.
Bilal… See LL’s comment. Don’t want you worrying too much, now!
-cvj
Dear Clifford,
If you are the sort of person who finds that nightmares are mitigated by practical action, you can have a chat to your administration to see if the buildings that house your department have been retrofitted, and if so, to what code.
The USGS predicts an order of magnitude fewer deaths than the similar sized Chinese quake had, despite a higher population density. The reason for this is engineering. It is doubtful that a quake that size will be fatality free, but if the buildings are designed to stay standing, then fewer people get hurt.
Last night, I dreamt of a huge earthquake hitting California. It was so vivid! I think I have been reading too much about the earthquake in China.