Tips for Tremors IV: An education in earthquakes

  • Published
  • By Robert J. Kaschak
  • 452nd emergency management technician
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. --  The final chapter in our series on earthquake preparation is education. Becoming educated about some of the science behind earthquakes aids organized preparation
and responsible reaction to catastrophic events. 

It is a myth that there is such a thing as "earthquake weather."  Quakes can occur anytime, any weather, day or night. They strike suddenly and without warning. The aftershocks that follow vary in duration and magnitude and can happen long after the main quake. 

Of all the states, California experiences damaging earthquakes most frequently. There are three main fault lines in Southern California: San Jacinto, Lake Elsinore and San Andreas. The largest fault, the San Andreas, is more than 300 years overdue for a rupture. The expectation is that it will be a major magnitude earthquake when it happens. Soil composition is a major factor in the amount of damage that results from a quake. Softer soils move more than granite-type surfaces. Areas of sandy soil with water become unstable in a quake and the shaking is more severe. Any structures being supported in these areas have a risk of collapse as the soil loses strength and behaves like a liquid, causing the ground to sink or slide. Hence, anything the ground is supporting (like a freeway or a building), is going to sink and slide as well.

If there is a significant earthquake in densely populated Southern California, the flow of communication, transportation and business will be severely crippled for an indefinite period of time. As evidenced in Japan, tsunamis can be a byproduct of a major quake. Additionally, landslides, flash flooding and surface faulting may occur.

The information here does not paint a pretty picture, but as residents of Southern California, it is necessary to be ready for a major earthquake. Although this is the last article in the earthquake series, we hope Team March members will continue to be mentally prepared.

Source: Federal Emergency Manager Association website