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Midwest Earthquake Hazard Downplayed

Posted by kdawson on from the whole-lotta-shakin dept.

swellconvivialguy writes "Next year marks the bicentennial of the 1811-12 New Madrid earthquakes, with earthquake drills and disaster tourism events planned across the Midwest, including the Great Central US ShakeOut. But despite the fact that Earthquake Hazard Maps equate the New Madrid seismic zone with California, geologist Seth Stein says new science (especially GPS data) tells us that the hazard has been significantly overestimated, and that we should not spend billions on earthquake preparations in the Midwest."

4 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. anniversaries are forever... by digitaldc · · Score: 4, Funny

    But how could it forget? It was our diamond in raw form anniversary!

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    He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
  2. New Madrid Earthquake Disaster Plan by digitaldc · · Score: 3, Funny

    Step 1: Run outside and watch for falling corn kernels and cotton balls

    --
    He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
  3. congratulations by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Funny

    you've invented an acronym that bothers me more than IANAL

    My mind always reads that as "I anal", or in "I'm anal", Which makes sense if you're a lawyer meaning anal in the psychological sense, but it has certain sexual overtones as well that I don't want to think about on a website mostly populated by men.

    Now you've invented an acronym for saying you're not a seismologist, IANAS, and my brain processes it as "I anus" or "I'm an anus."

    Never mind why you have low self esteem: basically I just want to read about earthquakes and legal issues without thinking about so much goddamn anal and anuses.

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  4. Don't you watch disaster movies? by Comboman · · Score: 4, Funny

    Geologist Seth Stein says new science tells us that the hazard has been significantly overestimated, and that we should not spend billions on earthquake preparations in the Midwest.

    I hate to break it to you Seth, but in every disaster movie I've ever seen, the guy who dies first (usually in an ironic way) is the scientist who says there's no danger and we don't need to prepare.

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    Support Right To Repair Legislation.