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M 7.8
This event marked the birth of seismology. It also reinforces the notion that modern
- We can predict that a similar EQ will happen in the future (no date, year, or even
decade though)
M 6.9
- 63 people died
- Two major breakages were Bay Bridge span and Cypress Viaduct in Oakland
Liquefaction
- Many regions around the margins of the Bay Area are susceptible to this.
P Waves
- Compression motion
S Waves
Surface Waves
1. Love waves = same motion as S, no vertical displacement (only affect sides of bodies
of water)
2. Rayleigh waves = like rolling ocean waves, can affect bodies of water
For P and S waves, the actual speed of these two waves depends on the density and
*5 years overdue.
Look at sequence over last 10K years. Average of a big earthquake is 140 years. Last
2. Soft story buildings = one level that is weaker than others (e.g. garage floor)
Aftershocks
Smaller magnitudes are caused by slip or movement that is still releasing energy.
Freeways
- Issues an alert once the EQ starts (stops carts outside of tunnels and speeds up ones
inside)
Ground Shaking
- Measured from a scale of 0 to 1.
- All power back in 1 week = prediction (no way this would ever happen according to
Fire
Fire is the real hazard after an EQ. Broken pipes means no water; fire department will
The Delta
- As a result, farm land no longer gets sediment deposit, so elevation lower and lower
- Mix of fresh and salt water if levees break during EQ (ruin water supply for SoCal)
62% probability that we have a M 6.7 or greater between 2003 and 2032
- 27% on Hayward Fault and 21% on San Andreas (rest broken up among other faults)
Active Fault
Def. = has ruptured in the last 11,000 years (implication for building permits, can't build
on active fault)
Faults
Fault Zone
3 Types of Faults
Aseismic
Def. = no EQ activity
Fault Gouge
Def. = resultant material of clays and sandy silts that is formed from differential
2. Deeper = stronger, crystalline rock in welded contact across the fault surfaces (15 to
20 km down)
Memorial Stadium
Fault runs from goal post to goal post; completely rebuilt the stadium b/c of this; creep
- Rate of slip for Strawberry Creek = 10mm/yr (accounts for 20% of movement along
Pacific plate)
- Discover the age of the creek (by looking at when the last one stopped, carbon dating)
Creep equation
Measuring deformation
Long term = look at geology and geomorphology (carbon date beheaded creeks, etc.)
Short term = by using GPS (very high accuracy receivers in set locations)
Magnitude
0 to 10
Important to note that with each number you go up, the shaking becomes 10 times more
Def. = subjective measure (look to MMI scale for this) based on location (think of "Did
Def. = developed to quantify an earthquake's shaking by what was felt and by its effects
These are correlated b/c humans are more sensitive to acceleration. Damage to