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New Map Fingers Future Hot Spots For U.S. Earthquakes
sciencehabit writes Earthquake risk assessments can seem pretty abstract at first glance, with their "percent probabilities" and "peak ground accelerations." But the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS's) national hazard maps, updated periodically, pack a powerful punch: Insurance companies and city planners rely heavily on the maps, which influence billions of dollars in construction every year. Today, USGS scientists released the most recent earthquake hazard assessments for the country. Although the picture hasn't changed much on a national scale since the last report in 2008, the devil is in the details, the report's authors say—and some areas in the country are now considered to be at higher risk for powerful quakes than once thought.
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The state had 109 temblors measuring 3.0 or greater in 2013 — more than 5,000% above normal. There have already been more than 200 earthquakes this year, Holland said.
There is controversy in that the quakes have occurred after the start of fracking (and the disposal of wastewater), and the oil companies refuse to acknowledge the connection. However, I find this stance akin to the cigarette companies refusing to acknowledge a direction connection between smoking and lung cancer.
Cuadrilla drilling company in UK has admitted publicly the link between fracking and earthquakes. The said this in 2011
This, according to a Reuters report here: http://www.reuters.com/article...
Other articles have reported various studies connecting fracking in Oklahoma with the new earthquakes flurries there and elsewhere in the US. Like Ohio: .http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/11/ohio-earthquakes-fracking_n_5136110.html
And here http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
If they spent all that money and time making a map which showed that there was LESS likelihood of earthquakes, people would scream boondogle. Now, because of douchebag grant-suckers, innocent people will suddenly have their insurance rates raised.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
California
California has some pretty big earthquakes but for the really big quakes you need a subduction zone like the Cascadia that covers from just south of the Oregon border up to southern British Columbia or the Aleutian Megathrust zone off of southern Alaska. Those produce magnitude 9+ quakes like the one off of Indonesia a few years ago. Fortunately they don't happen that often.
I've been waiting for the Great Earthquake to hit California for the last 30 years. Zzz...
With everyone getting stoned on legal pot, I doubt they will notice.
An iPhone going where no personal communicator has gone before.
Alaska gets 8+ earthquakes fairly frequently. The luck is more that noone lives up there than the earthquake frequency (though a 9+ would no doubt cause some major damage down the coast)
A deep waste injection well was drilled at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal NE of Denver in 1961 as a test for the disposal of toxic wastes. A test was run injecting water, and earthquakes resulted. I experienced a magnitude 3 or 4 quake myself as a result of this test. A report by David Evans documented this in 1966.
The 1964 Alaska earthquake was magnitude 9.2. I remember when it happened because the resulting tsunami killed 4 kids on the Oregon coast and 12 people in Crescent City, CA.
Your information is false.
They feared that it could be used to suppress protest or support unpopular rule.
Why - we had our seismic events millions of years ago. That's why. Big old mountains to my north and the city I live in is comprised of many hills.
On occasion we do get little 2-4 range tremblors though. Back in 2011 or so we were in the office and all felt a swaying sensation. We all noticed but after noticing just went back to what we were doing.
where the state legislature is not afraid to make suh environmental dangers illegal.
1) near Rifle due to injecting irrigation waste water (too salty for river)
2) near Trinadad, mine waters
3) near Greeley, oil drilling waste.
M7 off Cape Ann in 1755 caused damage to young Boston.
Several alrge faults in NYC area.
The Saint Lawrence Seaway is a large fault and has quakes periodically.
No historic large quake there, but lots of microseismicity.
Western Tennesee is in the New Madrid tectonic zone with a large 1811 quake. But that is a dfferent tectonic zone.
1) Very similar to previous USGS hazard maps.
2) Nearly every high risk zone has an associated large historic earthquake and continuing microseismicity. Seattle's 1700 M9 is just outside of historic memory. Eastern Tennesse has not had a quake.
3) Few seismic building laws in Eastern US, despite sizeable risk.
At long last there is a good reason to live in Minnesota.
Pfft, old news. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ear...