Major earthquake ‘certain’ to hit Southern California, study says

San Andreas fault © Francois Gohier / http://www.globallookpress.com

It is simply a matter of time before a major earthquake hits Southern California, according to a new study by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which examined patterns of historic quakes. The only question is how long it will be before the ‘Big One’ strikes.

 

The study – the most extensive of its kind – examined a section of the San Andreas fault that runs along Interstate 5, near Frazier Mountain in northeast Kern County.

 

“One of the reasons why this location is of importance is because in Southern California, the Big Bend, Carrizo, and Mojave sections of the San Andreas Fault accommodate 50-70% of plate motion. This means that the seismic hazard is high,” according to Temblor. 

 

To understand the size and likelihood of future earthquakes striking the area, the researchers looked into the past, by digging more than 30 trenches to trace ancient temblors.

 

“To get 1,200 years of records, we have to do lots of excavations and go quite deep,” said the study’s lead author, USGS research geologist Kate Scharer, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times.

 

Scharer and her team found 10 major earthquakes over a 1,000-year period. They were able to date the temblors by examining charcoal and plant remains found at each horizon.

 

The most common magnitude found at the site was 7.5.

 

A 7.9 earthquake in 1857 – the last major temblor to strike – was so powerful that it caused the soil to liquefy and trees to sink and uproot. The shaking lasted between one and three minutes.

 

Since then, land on either side of the fault has been pushing against the other at a rate of more than 1in per year, accumulating energy which will be suddenly released in a major earthquake that would move land along the fault line by many feet.

 

A repeat of the 1857 quake could move the land as much as 20ft, damage aqueducts that ferry water into Southern California from the north, disrupt transmission lines, and damage Interstate 5.

 

Although the researchers noted that a big earthquake is certain, they couldn’t predict when it will happen because they “don’t happen like clockwork.”

 

For instance, while there was once a gap of just 20 years between two temblors, another pair saw a gap of 200 years between them.

 

The average interval between quakes was found to be approximately 100 years, meaning the gap separating today from the 1857 earthquake is already 60 years more than the average.

 

“Longer gaps have happened in the past, but we know they always do culminate in a large earthquake. There’s no getting out of this,” Scharer said.

 

She went on to urge similar studies to take place so that scientists can gain a greater understanding of the San Andreas Fault, in order to “properly design infrastructure, like highways, water, and power lines, so that it can survive the next earthquake.”

 

The San Andreas Fault extends roughly 1,300km (800 miles) through California. It has three segments, each with a varying degree of earthquake risk. The most significant is the southern segment, which passes within about 56km (35 miles) of Los Angeles.

Courtesy of rt.com

http://tinyurl.com/j2zn5qz

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Three killed as train hits bus in Mississippi

The bus had been stuck on the track for about 10 minutes before the train hit. Pic: WLOX

At least three people have died after a train collided with a bus in Mississippi, police have confirmed.

 

The tour bus was dragged 91m (300ft) along the track following the crash in Biloxi.

 

According to the Sun Herald newspaper, a total of 42 people were on the bus at the time, and 35 were injured.

 

It is understood the bus had been stuck on the railroad for about five or 10 minutes when the train hit – and although officials are unsure why the bus had stopped, engine failure is a possibility.

 

Craig Robinson, who witnessed the crash, told the Sun Herald: “My first instinct was to get down there and tell people to get off the bus, but by the time I got there the train had already hit it.”

 

Rescuers have been removing trapped passengers through emergency windows, and at least one person has been taken to hospital by air ambulance.

 

The tour bus had been travelling from Austin in Texas when it crashed shortly after 2pm (8pm UK time), and it is believed those on board were being taken to one of Biloxi’s eight casinos.

 

Biloxi’s police chief, John Miller, said: “It’s a terrible tragedy and I know there’s a lot of families that are going to be impacted.”

 

Mayor Andrew Gilich added that it was “a tragic day for the city”.

 

CSX, the company which was operating the freight train, is yet to publicly comment on the crash.

Courtesy of Sky News

http://tinyurl.com/z6ocs7g

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