Guest geologizing by David Middleton

Earthquake fault long thought dormant could devastate Los Angeles, researchers say

By DEBORAH NETBURNSTAFF WRITER
AUG. 31, 2019 9:42 AM

Scientists citing new research say an earthquake fault along the Los Angeles coast, previously believed to be dormant, is active and could cause a destructive 6.4 magnitude earthquake if it ruptured.

And if it linked with other faults, it could trigger an earthquake in the magnitude 7 range, according to a team of researchers from Harvard, USC and the U.S. Geological Survey.

The fault, known as the Wilmington Blind-Thrust fault, stretches for about 12.5 miles, running northwest from Huntington Beach, directly beneath the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors, past the east side of the Palos Verdes Pensinula and out toward Santa Monica Bay.

Researchers have known for decades that the fault existed, but it was long thought to be dormant and therefore of no concern for the residents of Los Angeles.

[…]

Research published in 2017 found the fault may be even more dangerous than experts had believed, capable of producing more frequent destructive temblors than previously suggested by scientists.

LA Times

Amazingly, the LA Times article didn’t mention climate change… I thought everything in California was either caused or worsened by climate change… hmmm?

The new paper is pay-walled. The 2017 paper by the same group of authors was funded by the USGS and available. Their interpretation is that the Wilmington Blind‐Thrust Fault was reactivated within the past 571,000 years and is capable of triggering a 6.2 to 6.3 magnitude earthquake, with a recurrence frequency of 885 to 2,520 years.

It appears to be linked to other faults, which means we have less than 885 to 2,520 years to solve the earthquake crisis… Can we get a Green New Deal for this?

If I have to tell you when I’m being sarcastic, there was no point in being sarcastic.

“We need to do everything we can to start moving the climate in the right direction, but we also need to start moving our people to higher ground.”

Andrew Yang, passenger #23 in the 2020 Democrat candidate clown car

So… Andy… Where would you move “our people” to avoid this? Guam?

References

Wolfe, F. D., Dolan, J. F., Plesch, A., & Shaw, J. H. (2017, 08). “Activity and earthquake potential of the Wilmington blind thrust, Los Angeles, CA: The largest earthquake source not on current southern California hazard maps?”. Poster Presentation at 2017 SCEC Annual Meeting.

Wolfe, Franklin D., John H. Shaw, Andreas Plesch, Daniel J. Ponti, James F. Dolan, Mark R. Legg; “The Wilmington Blind‐Thrust Fault: An Active Concealed Earthquake Source beneath Los Angeles, California”. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (2019) doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0120180335