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Newly Discovered Fault Under L.A.

Posted by michael on from the here-i-sit-on-the-head-of-mount-tam dept.

Randolpho writes "Whether you like the city or not, you can't say Los Angeles doesn't have a fault. It does, and it's one of earth-shattering proportions. Geologists have confirmed that LA was built right over a faultline, which they're calling the Puente Hills Blind Thrust System; it runs from northern Orange County through Los Angeles on up to Beverly Hills, and has a habbit of ripping earthquakes as large as 7.5 on the Richter Scale every 10 thousand years or so. And the last one was about 8 thousand years ago."

29 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. La has a Fault? by BuckaBooBob · · Score: 5, Funny

    naa! Can't be :).. I guess Insurance Companies earthquake Periums will go way up in about 1800 years or so.

    --
    Who needs WiFi when we can have Packet Over Sheep! http://datacomm.org/PoS-InternetDraft.txt
  2. I sure picked a fine time to move to LA by anonymous+loser · · Score: 4, Funny

    I just got here, and now you're telling me I'm due for a huge earthquake?

    Well, I suppose on the bright side, if it's true I might be able to afford buying that house after all.

  3. I live near LA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    And all I can say is Scum City couldn't care less...how could you when you're too busy shooting wi' your homies and pimpin' the ho's

  4. Name already taken? by worst_name_ever · · Score: 4, Funny
    LA was built right over a faultline, which they're calling the Puente Hills Blind Thrust System

    And to think, all this time I thought that was how Hollywood executives mate...

    --

    In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
  5. New fault by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    So in a way, you could say this is a continental segmentation fault?

    8-)

  6. wow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    And to think that I thought all that rumbling was just the automatic gunfire from the local crips and bloods who maintain our number #1 status quo worldwide...
    You learn something new everyday!

  7. God damn it! by Ciel · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...so you mean to say that we may have 2,000 years left to wait?

    Argh!

    The wheels of justice turn slowly indeed...

  8. What to do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm not American, but as I understand your legal system, the correct thing to do is sue the scientists, right?

  9. When You Re-post This Story in 2000 Years by n3rd · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm sure you'll be hearing cries of "dupe, dupe!".

  10. Hollywood by huhmz · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can see a Jerry Bruckheimer production coming

  11. You know you've spent too much time online... by GQuon · · Score: 5, Funny

    ..when you read
    Geologists have confirmed that LA was built right over a faultline

    as

    Googlists have confirmed that LA was built right over a faultline

    and thinking

    "What? People can make scientific discoveries by searching the internet?"

    I have to go lie down now.

    --
    Irene KHAAAAAAN!
  12. Who is to blame? by paranoos · · Score: 5, Funny

    I blame Los Angeles. It's their own fault, after all.

  13. From the article by Vinnie_333 · · Score: 3, Funny
    "Earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do." Of course, by that logic:

    Sharks don't kill people, looking like a seal does.

    Explosions don't kill people, debris does.

    Knives don't kill people, a thrusting motion does.

    --

    "We shall party like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean." - HedonismBot
    1. Re:From the article by spoonist · · Score: 2, Funny

      And you mustn't forget the physics classic:

      It's not the fall that kills you, it's the rapid deceleration.

  14. Re:YOU SIR, ARE GAY. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Please refrain from using the term "gay" to imply "stupid." Unless he really is gay. In which case...is he hot?

    Wait a second. This is Slashdot. Oops.

  15. The fault is above ground... by acroyear · · Score: 4, Funny

    You know, by the description here, it sounds like its running exactly under I-405, the Santa Monica freeway, which is already one of the biggest faults LA's ever had...

    --
    "But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice." (H.Simpson)
    -- Joe
  16. Sue's To Blame! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Didn't you see the opening credits?

    With respects to Richard O'Brian. Let's do the Time Warp Agaaaaaaaain! Of course, that 'Jump to the left' might just kickstart the fault. No more Saturday night Rocky's in LA, I guess... Shame...

  17. Re:Horror storys! by big_groo · · Score: 4, Funny
    We are always told every few months the earth is overdue a major earthquake, eruption, ice collapse, comet or other worldwide catastrophy. If it happens it will happen, but for now I'm happy where I am away from any of them.

    And you exactly are ... where?

  18. I'm a googlist! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Googlefight:

    Puente Hills Blind Thrust System
    (132 results)

    versus

    San Andreas Fault
    ( 51 100 results)


    Googlism nr.1:

    california earthquakes is an interesting
    california earthquakes is available from the northern california earthquake data center run by ucb and usgs
    california earthquakes is available from the northern california earthquake data center
    california earthquakes is from ellsworth
    california earthquakes is the subject of ongoing research
    california earthquakes is a clickable map showing historic earthquakes going back as far as 1812
    california earthquakes is discussed
    california earthquakes is presented
    california earthquakes is used to produce three
    california earthquakes is being investigated by maryann phipps of degenkolb engineers
    california earthquakes is available
    california earthquakes is what is called the san andreas fault line
    california earthquakes is the highway
    california earthquakes is high enough


    Googlism nr.2:

    los angeles earthquakes is the fragility of an american culture based on the automobile

    So clearly, we googlists can't take the credit for this one. But we were close to un-earthing the problem (-: before those darn geologists beat us to it:

    Googlism nr.3:

    danger to los angeles is not just the great san andreas fault
  19. Re:Dimwit. by monadicIO · · Score: 2, Funny
    You didn't have to point out the bad fucking pun with capitalisation.

    Normally, I would let this pass. In this CASE, I think you're being to SENSITIVE. Doesn't your rant CAPITALISE on my capitalisation too? Aren't we all at FAULT?

    --

    The law of excluded middle : Either I'm foo or I'm foobar

  20. Shocking by MourningBlade · · Score: 2, Funny

    I found out about this story on news.google.com

    Slashdot's report was the highest ranked one - above National Geographic, and the Los Angeles Daily.

    In the "honorable mention" category were CNN and NBC.

    If only I could see the faces of the editors for those news agencies when they saw that...

  21. ObSimpsons Quote by Rob.Mathers · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Let's goLet's go burn down the observatory so this will never happen again."
    - Moe, after the comet that was going to destroy Springfeild burns up in the atmosphere

    --

    My other sig is funny!
  22. Rebuiding Los Angeles by Other1 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Has Halliburton been assigned this contract yet?

    1. Re:Rebuiding Los Angeles by Loki_1929 · · Score: 2, Funny

      " Has Halliburton been assigned this contract yet?"

      Na, I hear some Iraqi contractor got it.

      --
      -- "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
  23. Built right or wrongly by SmackCrackandPot · · Score: 2, Funny

    >Geologists have confirmed that LA was built right over a faultline,

    Looking on the bright side, that's better than having LA built wrongly over a faultline,

  24. Arizona Bay by jonathonc · · Score: 2, Funny

    In other news today the Big One hit LA creating a new resort called 'Arizona Bay'. Nobody was missed.

    1. Re:Arizona Bay by ChadN · · Score: 2, Funny

      TOOL LYRICS
      "Aenima" - abbreviated

      I've a suggestion to keep you all occupied...

      Learn to swim.
      Learn to swim.
      Learn to swim.
      Learn to swim.

      --
      "It's overkill, of course. But you can never have too much overkill." - Anonymous Slashdot Coward
  25. Geologists have it easy... by maunleon · · Score: 3, Funny

    How many other professions allow you to make a prediction with 2000+ years as error margin?

    I predict that within 2000 years, pigs will fly. Give me a grant. I promise to pay back all the money if I'm proven wrong.

  26. Re:Redmond? by pyrote · · Score: 2, Funny

    From: God (god237@godshouse.god)
    to: Everyone
    Subject: Redmond

    Crap. They figured out the plan.

    --
    THE WORLD IS GOING TO END!!!! eventually.