1 in 3 chance Northwest US can have major quake.

[Adios]

Based on historical averages, Goldfinger says the southern end of the fault - from about Newport, Ore., to northern California - has a 37 percent chance of producing a major earthquake in the next 50 years. The odds that a mega-quake will hit the northern segment, from Seaside, Ore., to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, are more like 10 to 15 percent.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/23/phillipines.earthquake/index.html?hpt=T2

[Adios]

(CNN) -- A series of four strong earthquakes spanning just over an hour struck the Philippines' Moro Gulf on Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Three of the four earthquakes had magnitudes between 7.3 and 7.6; the other came in at a 5.4 magnitude. The first quake struck at 6:08 a.m. (6:08 p.m. ET Friday) and the fourth hit at 7:15 a.m. The last quake ran the deepest at 616 (382 miles) kilometers.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/23/phillipines.earthquake/index.html?hpt=T2

[Suu]

I don't remember the exact figure, but isn't there an earthquake SOMEWHERE in the world approximately every 2-3 minutes?


Zee plates! Zay move!
\

[Adios]

I don't remember the exact figure, but isn't there an earthquake SOMEWHERE in the world approximately every 2-3 minutes?


Zee plates! Zay move!
\

Of course the plates and formations, etc. move. I have no idea how often a quake hits.

[Adios]

The National Earthquake Information Center (U.S.) reports 12,000-14,000 earthquakes a year around the world, or 35 a day. Throughout the world, there are one "great" (magnitude 8.0 or more), 18 "major" (7.0-7.9), 120 "large" (6.0-6.9) and 1,000 "moderate" (5.0-5.9) earthquakes in an average year. Each year, California generally gets two or three earthquakes large enough to cause moderate damage to structures (magnitude 5.5 and higher).

http://www.conservation.ca.gov/index/Earthquakes/Pages/qh_earthquakes.aspx

[Suu]

We actually have a shit ton over here in the Northeast. I mean, they are really minor, topping out at 3.0 or 4.0 on the Richter (snort) scale, but we did have that one last month that was a 5.0 in Quebec.

Earthquakes in the Northeast U.S. cannot be associated with specific known faults, as opposed to the typical seismic activity evident in California. While California earthquakes typically occur at, or near the conjunction of two of the Earth's major tectonic plates ("inter-plate" activity), earthquakes in New England occur in the middle of plates ("intra-plate" activity), far from the plate boundaries .

The immediate cause of most shallow earthquakes is the sudden release of stress along a fault, or fracture in the earth's crust, resulting in movement of the opposing blocks of rock past one another. These movements cause wave-like vibrations to pass through the ground, just as ripples are generated when a pebble is dropped into a pond.


Did You Know?

The Northeast experiences an average of 40 - 50 earthquakes per year.

Due to the solid bedrock geology of the Northeast, a large earthquake will affect a much wider area than an earthquake of similar magnitude in California.

[Adios]

Kansas looks safe.

http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/student/johnson1/presentation.html

[Suu]

Actually, this is fascinating stuff. They actually have no solid idea as to WHY New England and Quebec have earthquakes, because it defies what should be the norm. Our faults have technically been inactive for millions of years, and we're far enough from the Mid Atlantic Ridge to where that won't effect us.



The hot spot in Missouri is always fun too, and South Carolina also has a spot.



That's the past 30 days around the world. Gah.

[Jasper]

That is really interesting. 

I wonder if we would be able to tell if a fissure was opening up in a plate.  Would we know? 

[Suu]

Most hypotheses include magma flow beneath the old faults, or Cthulhu.

Millions of years ago, the Appalachians, especially up here with the Andirondacks, Green, and White Mountains, which are STILL huge as far as old mountains go, were REALLY active. All sorts of fun volcanoes and earthquakes, which is still pretty evident in the soil (well, the stuff that hasn't been destroyed by the plowline).

We have a lot of deposits of granite and quartz up here, so at one time, there was a shit ton of lava that cooled, and it was everywhere.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I'm pretty sure it's Cthulhu, actually.

[Adios]

Actually, this is fascinating stuff. They actually have no solid idea as to WHY New England and Quebec have earthquakes, because it defies what should be the norm. Our faults have technically been inactive for millions of years, and we're far enough from the Mid Atlantic Ridge to where that won't effect us.



The hot spot in Missouri is always fun too, and South Carolina also has a spot.



That's the past 30 days around the world. Gah.

It is fascinating. That map is incredible.

[Iason Ouabache]

Based on historical averages, Goldfinger says the southern end of the fault - from about Newport, Ore., to northern California - has a 37 percent chance of producing a major earthquake in the next 50 years. The odds that a mega-quake will hit the northern segment, from Seaside, Ore., to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, are more like 10 to 15 percent.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/23/phillipines.earthquake/index.html?hpt=T2

Pshaw! They've been saying that about the New Madrid Fault for the last 50 years and still nothing major. I've come to the conclusion that it is impossible to predict earthquakes and anyone who says differently is trying to sell you something.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

This map is fun and handy: http://www.ess.washington.edu/recenteqs/

[Suu]

Mt. St. Helens is always a rumblin' and a bubblin'.  Nigel (or maybe another Portland spag?), didn't you say that you can see smoke coming from Mt. Hood all the time too?