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Preparing for an Earthquake in California


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             Although scientists cannot pinpoint exactly when and where an earthquake will occur, they can use statistics and data from past earthquakes to approximate the timespan in which one will happen and the magnitude of the quake. It is imperative that the years of previous major earthquakes in the region are known. Ragnar Stefansson states that "the length of time between earthquakes is related to regional velocity of strain buildup across plate boundaries" (Stefansson 18). To understand this better, imagine taking two pieces of coarse sand paper and rubbing them together. They certainly do not slide past one another as easily as two pieces of plain paper would. As you continue to apply forces in opposite directions, you will notice that stress is building up. If you continue at this rate, they will eventually slip past one another and release all of the built up energy. As you repeat this, you will notice that (if forces are applied at the same rate) it takes about the same amount of time for them to slip. In terms of the San Andreas Fault, these time intervals in the past have been around 150 years. The last major quake along the fault occurred in 1906 at the San Francisco Bay (106 years ago). However, the last big one to hit the southern region of the San Andreas was in 1857 (Schulz 1). If you calculate that, it was 155 years ago. This means that we are due for a large earthquake in southern California within the next couple of decades. .
             Historically, "the San Andreas Fault System has a record of moderate to great earthquakes" (Stoffer 2). The two major earthquakes previously recorded along the fault (the great San Francisco earthquake in 1906 and the great Fort Tejon earthquake in 1857) were roughly the same magnitude; between 7.8 and 8.3 (Stoffer 2). This means that we can expect the next major earthquake in southern California to be within this range. .
             Being prepared is top priority when it comes to earthquake safety.


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