Posted on 04/13/2010 7:10:57 PM PDT by bd476
KTLA NewsSoCal Experiencing Surge in Earthquake Activity
70 quakes greater than a magnitude 4.0 have struck the region this year -- more than any year in the past decade.
KTLA News
11:08 AM PDT, April 13, 2010
LOS ANGELES -- Southern California, along with Baja California, has seen a surge in moderate earthquake activity this year and scientists are trying to figure out what's causing the uptick.
There have been 70 quakes greater than a magnitude 4.0 so far this year. That's the most of any year in the last decade -- and, it's only April. There were 30 in 2009 and 29 in 2008.
Seismologists say they are looking into the recent surge but they can not yet fully explain it.
The string of earthquakes could mean that Southern California might again be entering a more active seismic period, and more significant quakes could be on the way, according to experts.
Scientists also said the increase does not mean the Big One is more likely to hit.
Egill Hauksson, a geophysicist at Caltech, told The Los Angeles Times that the rate of quakes in the region is "probably . . . picking up again" after a relative lull that lasted more than a decade.
"What it means is that we are going to have more earthquakes than in the average year. With more earthquakes, we're bound to have more bigger ones. But there are always fewer of those than the smaller ones."
Caltech seismologist Kate Hutton said experts would like to be able to explain the surge, but "there's no real correlation with any cause."
Many of the quakes this year have been aftershocks to the 7.2 magnitude temblor that struck the Mexicali area, killing two people. The border had previously experienced a swarm of earthquakes.
Scientists say one of their biggest concerns remains the San Andreas fault, which has produced some of the state's largest earthquakes and is said to be overdue for a major event.
I’m really sick of you people and your sink into the Pacific crap. There’s one “H” of a lot of good Conservatives, one “H” of a lot of good Americans here in California, as well it’s the home of Free Republic.
Hopefully you have contributed to the cause of FReedom as we here at the ranch have, and have sent something to keep FR alive and well.
Well, I still have family and friends there, so I think your comment is rude.
They have shakes, too.
True, there have been many, but again, earthquakes appear to occur in cycles.
True and you summed it up nicely. :)
Yikes. More than 2800 in the past week. Usually it’s somewhere between 250 and 400 a week.
No can do.
The continent is thicker than the ocean is deep.
Best we can hope for is it splits away from the rest of North America...
[...and still counting until 2014]
"this trend needs to be understood in relation to the increase in seismographs. Certainly, in the last 25 years, more lower intensity earthquakes have been noticed because of a general increase in the number of seismograph stations across the world and improved global communications. This increase has helped seismological centres to locate many small earthquakes which were undetected in earlier decades. Therefore, an upward trend is not unexpected in the graph, although the rise in the number of large earthquakes will be of more significance to our assessment of the trend.
By limiting the range of earthquakes being counted in this report to magnitude 7 or above, it means these earthquakes can easily be identified by a limited number of seismographs, and we have ensured that any increase in frequency for these larger earthquakes cannot be down to the increase in overall detection rates in this 25-year period, as all these larger earthquakes are able to be easily detected with fewer seismograph stations."
Alaska? Alaska ??Eye of Unk wrote: "To be frankly honest, I would move to firmer ground, like Utah?"
Here, this says it best regarding your move to the home of extremely large earthquakes:
Agree. That's an excellent idea.
Why would anyone take that comment seriously? Seriously, I don’t even think its possible.
A rolling motion is suppose to mean that you are some distance from it....heard that the other day.
Because it wasn’t funny... I guess you had to grow up in Earthquake country to understand why it’s not funny.
Yes Alaska has many times more quakes than California, I think its of an order of 100 times as much.
And thats good, all the pressure is let off on a daily basis, we don’t have big ones very often, nothing compared to SF, LA and such.
Yeah we one in 1964, nothing much since then. I felt a 4.6 last week, most are 3.0 and smaller, we ignore them and I really don’t notice them.
Didn't some democrat say recently something about an island somewhere capsizing and sinking? He actually thought islands "float" on the water.
lol. Yes, that was really stupid. Islands are really the backs of giant turtles, everyone knows that. /s
Hmmm..... maybe the Earth's crust is shifting?
Were are taking Free Republic with us if we go!
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