[MackBranon]

Why hell, I am moving back to CA.
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Cascadia: The West Coast Fault Line That Is "Nine Months Pregnant".

by Ben Jervy
via good. is

Ever since the massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan, I've been thinking a lot about my friends in Oregon. Why? Because the impending "Big One" that Californians are nervous about is actually a lot more likely to occur off the coast of Oregon—and would be an even "Bigger One" there.

The Cascadia Subduction Zone, which sits off the coast of Oregon, was the site of the largest known earthquake to have ever struck the Lower 48 American states: a magnitude 9 megathrust in early 1700 that sent a tsunami crashing into the Pacific coast, and across the ocean to Japan.
Andy Revkin, whose post immediately after the Japan quake alerted me to the Cascadia earthquake threat, ran this note from Yumei Wang, an Oregon-based earthquake analyst and expert.

The average time between magnitude 8 and larger Cascadia earthquakes is about 240 years (see page 8, Cascadia earthquake timeline, based on Chris Goldfinger’s data, Oregon State University). The last megaquake, estimated as a magnitude 9, occurred in 1700 — that’s 311 years ago. In geologic terms, Cascadia is “9 months pregnant” and overdue.
Even though geologists identified 41 past Cascadia megaquakes, they cannot pinpoint exactly when the next Cascadia earthquake will strike. Nonetheless, engineers can design and build to withstand earthquake shaking. Now is the time to take preparations seriously, safeguard those in harm’s way, and strengthen aging critical infrastructure.
Here's the time line that Wang references:

In case you need a closer look, I'll zoom in on just the last 4,000 years:

The heavier red lines are earthquakes of magnitude 9 or higher. The smaller lines are magnitude 8 or higher. As you can see, it's been over 310 years since the last magnitude 8+ earthquake, and the rhythm and period of massive seismic events along that fault is typically shorter. Nine months pregnant and overdue.
The time line was included in this sobering Cascadia report (PDF) from the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, and the time line data came from Chris Goldfinger at Oregon State University. The report is loaded with information about the Cascadia region's vulnerability. I've already emailed it (again, PDF) to all of my friends in the Beaver State, and I can't imagine it would hurt for you to do the same. When you're talking natural disasters, preparedness is everything.

http://poorrichards-blog.blogspot.co...e-that-is.html

[disappointment2]

Here's an article that appeared in Outside magazine a couple months ago chronicling the first 60 minutes of a four minute long 9.0 earthquake and the tsunami that follows. Having lived in Oregon's Coast Range, I found it a facinating read.

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor....html?page=all

[KaterinaNJq]

this reminds me a car or truck wheel.

if you loosen 4 of the 5 bolts, or 11 of the 12, as the case may be, the last remaining bolt carries a greater load & is more likely to give.

i have a feeling that a similar mechanism occurs on a much larger scale with tectonic plates.

those big beautiful mountains up in BC didn't just pop out of the ground with no forces pushing them up.

i guess mountain creation is something you generally want to watch from a distance.

[GaryBulguihb]

Ponce, check out this doom date in spring:

http://gold-silver.us/forum/showthre...g.-%28Doom%29/

[sposteTipsKage]

I just called to get earth quake insurance and the lady told me the the computer refuse to give me that kind of insurance so that now I am on hold while she calls home base to find out why not.

[RogerButton33]

the lady told me the the computer refuse to give me that kind of insurance

That's not good, is like when a bank won't give you "credit".

[Bxbhtjnr]

A four minute 9.0 sounds like a fun ride, and then there's the water park feature.

[22CreessGah]

Well, I made a BIG mistake by calling on the Earth quake insurance, my new policy took affect this month (paid for) but they made a mistake because they were NOT supposed to renew the policy on account that they didn't like the roll element that I have on the roof.......what I put on is nothing more than a cover over the original roof to protect it more......they say that unless I do something that they will not renew the policy next yearl......probably about $5,000 for the job, lets wait and see.

[margoaroyo]

Ponce, does your policy require an extra rider for your sign out front? Ha ha. I cancelled my earthquake insurance policy a couple years ago for many of the reasons mentioned in this article. I did have to replace my shake roof to renew for fire also recently.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar...erfin-20110320