San Simeon Earthquake Activity

[David]

There continues to be a significant number of small EQ in the San Simeon-Paso Robles area. See http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Maps/121-36.html

Is it possible these small EQ's are still part of the aftershock sequence following the December '03 San Simeon M6.5 EQ?

[BTFLCHLD]

There continues to be a significant number of small EQ in the San Simeon-Paso Robles area. See http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Maps/121-36.html

Is it possible these small EQ's are still part of the aftershock sequence following the December '03 San Simeon M6.5 EQ?

IDK but i just moved into my new office today due to ALL the earthquakes...
seems i've been working atop the san andreas fault for the past 5 years! :]

[GardenStateGirlie]

That's really incredibly interesting to look at. I suppose with the magnitude of such an earthquake that it would be possible for there to still be significant seismic activity. Is this something they're hypothisizing?? Wonder if the same can be said of the recent activity in the far East??

[Jessica Leigh]

There continues to be a significant number of small EQ in the San Simeon-Paso Robles area. See http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Maps/121-36.html

Is it possible these small EQ's are still part of the aftershock sequence following the December '03 San Simeon M6.5 EQ?

it depends on whether there have been constant eqs after the dec 03 quake in the same fault area (which would mean that the ground is still settling into a new position) or if the little quakes stopped at one time in that area (implying the ground had settled) and then started back up recently with all these little ones (which may be little foreshocks to a big eq that might be on the horizon)

i'm not an expert but i did study geology for a couple yrs in that area of cali and into death valley.

[WelshWitchPMD]

Had this guest on this past Sunday:

Seismic Update
Geologist Jim Berkland returned to the show, offering his analysis of planetary seismic activity. The recent series of quakes off the American Northwest are being caused by magma coming up from the water, which is typical for an active ridge, he said. He doesn't see this situation turning into an "Atlantis-type of thing."

Berkland made a prediction of a 6+ earthquake to occur in either Southern Nevada or California during June, July, or August of this year, as these months have particularly high tide periods. He also discussed how the number of deaths are often underestimated for serious quakes. For instance, it has only been in recent years that the death toll from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was raised to the thousands (from several hundred). Governments are reluctant to admit shoddy construction in many cases, he said.

Berkland noted that some people are "earthquake sensitives" who exhibit severe headaches for three days preceding a major quake. He also suggested that there is a correlation between the sun and seismic activity. For example, he said, there were huge X-13 flares that were occurring at the time of both the Loma Prieta and Morgan Hill quakes.

http://www.syzygyjob.org/

[amber]

Had this guest on this past Sunday:

Seismic Update
Geologist Jim Berkland returned to the show, offering his analysis of planetary seismic activity. The recent series of quakes off the American Northwest are being caused by magma coming up from the water, which is typical for an active ridge, he said. He doesn't see this situation turning into an "Atlantis-type of thing."

Berkland made a prediction of a 6+ earthquake to occur in either Southern Nevada or California during June, July, or August of this year, as these months have particularly high tide periods. He also discussed how the number of deaths are often underestimated for serious quakes. For instance, it has only been in recent years that the death toll from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was raised to the thousands (from several hundred). Governments are reluctant to admit shoddy construction in many cases, he said.

Berkland noted that some people are "earthquake sensitives" who exhibit severe headaches for three days preceding a major quake. He also suggested that there is a correlation between the sun and seismic activity. For example, he said, there were huge X-13 flares that were occurring at the time of both the Loma Prieta and Morgan Hill quakes.

http://www.syzygyjob.org/
Very interesting! As a resident of the "death zone" ( :lol: ) I like to know what's happening. I'm hoping not to slide into the ocean.... :laugh: :p

[Jessica Leigh]

Very interesting! As a resident of the "death zone" ( :lol: ) I like to know what's happening. I'm hoping not to slide into the ocean.... :laugh: :p

yeah where you are is sliding into the ocean... but don't worry- i think it's moving at a constant rate of about a foot every thousand years.... so if you live another thousand years, your front walkway to your house might not be in front of your front door anymore. it might be just a little bit to the left. :wavey:

[amber]

yeah where you are is sliding into the ocean... but don't worry- i think it's moving at a constant rate of about a foot every thousand years.... so if you live another thousand years, your front walkway to your house might not be in front of your front door anymore. it might be just a little bit to the left. :wavey:
:lol:
so, the big one isn't gonna take us down? Whew. thank you! *but what if it's a really big one?*

[Jessica Leigh]

:lol:
so, the big one isn't gonna take us down? Whew. thank you! *but what if it's a really big one?*

even a 9 point whatever can't shift california SOOOO much that it would be an island.... the whole earth is covered in plates- if one faultline were to have a 9.3 eq and move like, 10 miles, it would have to make the rest of the plates all around the world move, too... and that would take a lot more pressure than a 9.3 in norcal... all of the other faultlines around the world would have to be slipping a little bit, too... and considering the time of day is different all around the world (a lot of eqs generally happen at night when the ground is cooling down from a warm day- the ground expands with the heat, building pressure at the fault lines, and then when it cools at night they slip) it would be almost impossible for every single one to slip at just the same time... it would require almost a miracle in tectonic activity.

[amber]

even a 9 point whatever can't shift california SOOOO much that it would be an island.... the whole earth is covered in plates- if one faultline were to have a 9.3 eq and move like, 10 miles, it would have to make the rest of the plates all around the world move, too... and that would take a lot more pressure than a 9.3 in norcal... all of the other faultlines around the world would have to be slipping a little bit, too... and considering the time of day is different all around the world (a lot of eqs generally happen at night when the ground is cooling down from a warm day- the ground expands with the heat, building pressure at the fault lines, and then when it cools at night they slip) it would be almost impossible for every single one to slip at just the same time... it would require almost a miracle in tectonic activity.
Super! I like that you're a fount of geological knowledge... :)

[David]

That's really incredibly interesting to look at. I suppose with the magnitude of such an earthquake that it would be possible for there to still be significant seismic activity. Is this something they're hypothisizing?? Wonder if the same can be said of the recent activity in the far East??http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/uou-usi031605.php

[ominous drums in the distance]

[David]

even a 9 point whatever can't shift california SOOOO much that it would be an island.... the whole earth is covered in plates- if one faultline were to have a 9.3 eq and move like, 10 miles, it would have to make the rest of the plates all around the world move, too... Remember, too, that moment magnitude (Mw) is a measure of the size of fault rupture, among other things. The Sumatra quake ruptured a patch of fault roughly the size of California. There are dozens of major faults in California, but geologists don't think there is any single fault in the state large enough to generate such a monster quake. Quakes of M9.0 & above are almost always subduction zone monsters, hundreds of miles long. The biggest quake in California's history was an 1857 quake in Fort Tejon. It was a 7.9. Here's a list of the biggest quakes in CA history:
http://www.consrv.ca.gov/index/Earthquakes/qh_earthquakes_Calbigones.htm

Nothing anywhere near a M9.0+ on California soil (or anywhere else in the Lower 48). Theoretically, it's possible, but it's very unlikely.

Sometimes faults are well known & easy to spot, like the San Andreas zone. Others are underground, with nothing on the surface revealing their presence (like the blind thrust fault that caused the Northridge '94 quake). So maybe there's a blind thrust fault somewhere down there, but it hasn't ruptured in a major way in historical times. Nobody knows about it if it's down there.

Another misconception is that a piece of California will "break" off & float out to sea. See the Earthquake Myths page: http://www.consrv.ca.gov/index/Earthquakes/qh_earthquakes_myths.htm

[David]

Seismic Update
Geologist Jim Berkland returned to the show, offering his analysis of planetary seismic activity. The recent series of quakes off the American Northwest are being caused by magma coming up from the water, which is typical for an active ridge, he said. He doesn't see this situation turning into an "Atlantis-type of thing."That's surprising, considering Berkland is a quack.

He's the guy who got fired from his county geology job. He says full moons create great quakes, & he used to draw up "prediction" windows using tidal charts & logs of animal disappearances. He isn't even a footnote in seismology studies.

[GardenStateGirlie]

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/uou-usi031605.php

[ominous drums in the distance]

A few months ago I went to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and we saw one of the IMAX films called Forces of Nature (not to be confused with the Sandra Bullock flick). One of the forces they covered was earthquakes with footage from Izmit, Turkey and the devistation of the earthquake that took place in 1999. The geophysicist working that area had developed an earthquake-progression model that showed Izmit would be hit next. No one took the warning seriously and the quake ripped through the town because it was sitting on the Anatolian Fault. He then projected that it wouldn't be long until Istanbul was next.

Probably wouldn't pack the same punch as in an IMAX theater but i'd reccomend renting it if you're a science nerd because it was fascinating.

[GardenStateGirlie]

Apparently there has just been an earthquake along the same faultline that caused the December Tsunami. I haven't seen it reported anywhere except on the weather channel (which i'm currently watching). Apparently, it was an 8.2 and so far, the only thing I could find on the net was a small mention HERE (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050328/140/ff5hk.html)

[chiliD]

Well, there JUST was a 3.0 5 miles SSW from Calistoga and 7 miles NE of Santa Rosa, California about 20 minutes ago.

Earth's a rockin'!

[strandinthewind]

Here is a list of EQ's in the last few weeks:

Current Time: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 18:55:04 UTC

Updated as of Mon Mar 28 16:32:15 UTC 2005. DATE-(UTC)-TIME Latitude Longitude Depth Magnitude Comments
yyyy/mm/dd hh:mm:ss degrees degrees km
2005/03/28 16:09:37 2.09N 97.02E 30.0 8.2 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
2005/03/28 13:46:55 12.55N 86.88W 198.6 5.0 NICARAGUA
2005/03/28 11:01:31 43.45N 146.82E 49.1 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
2005/03/28 00:45:05 9.72N 69.91W 10.4 4.7 LARA- PORTUGUESA REG

2005/03/27 23:33:00 37.26N 121.95W 4.3 2.6 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIF.
2005/03/27 18:26:53 5.49N 82.36W 10.0 4.9 SOUTH OF PANAMA
2005/03/27 08:03:37 1.19S 80.68W 26.4 4.9 NEAR THE COAST OF ECUADOR
2005/03/27 06:09:25 4.74N 94.83E 30.0 4.8 OFF W COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
2005/03/27 05:23:30 51.67N 176.94W 68.7 4.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
2005/03/27 04:57:37 24.25S 66.75W 161.5 4.6 SALTA, ARGENTINA

2005/03/26 22:16:00 51.16N 179.62W 43.8 4.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
2005/03/26 20:32:14 28.24N 88.01E 87.5 4.7 WESTERN XIZANG
2005/03/26 15:40:35 4.89S 129.92E 10.0 6.2 BANDA SEA
2005/03/26 14:15:20 46.19N 122.19W 1.0 3.1 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
2005/03/26 05:03:05 6.83S 153.61E 32.0 5.4 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
2005/03/26 04:36:48 35.84N 120.39W 6.9 3.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
2005/03/26 04:23:16 23.62S 179.64E 600.0 4.4 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
2005/03/26 02:42:03 15.39S 173.30W 10.0 5.0 TONGA
2005/03/26 02:40:39 43.13S 91.63E 10.0 4.7 SOUTHEAST INDIAN RIDGE
2005/03/26 01:28:44 10.71S 161.88E 32.5 4.9 SOLOMON ISLANDS

2005/03/25 21:58:04 2.95N 95.60E 30.0 4.5 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
2005/03/25 16:39:24 33.75N 118.04W 15.3 2.6 GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
2005/03/25 13:34:40 25.49N 94.80E 69.1 5.3 MYANMAR-INDIA BORDER REGION
2005/03/25 12:48:56 34.89N 50.03E 17.4 4.5 CENTRAL IRAN
2005/03/25 12:06:23 53.94N 165.89W 64.2 4.4 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
2005/03/25 06:43:09 14.44S 75.57W 107.5 4.6 NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
2005/03/25 06:13:39 39.33N 40.75E 10.0 3.8 EASTERN TURKEY
2005/03/25 03:54:26 20.25S 68.83W 95.9 5.0 TARAPACA, CHILE
2005/03/25 03:27:17 7.45N 93.69E 30.0 4.6 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
2005/03/25 01:04:53 5.50N 94.36E 39.0 5.9 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
2005/03/25 00:07:20 20.07S 70.40W 57.8 4.7 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE

2005/03/24 23:25:32 34.01N 142.42E 38.6 4.3 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
2005/03/24 21:22:57 17.08S 174.24W 116.4 4.5 TONGA
2005/03/24 19:30:05 7.34S 128.33E 123.2 4.4 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
2005/03/24 17:04:30 36.33N 71.25E 96.8 4.7 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
2005/03/24 17:02:43 22.51S 171.90E 10.0 4.8 SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
2005/03/24 10:01:02 0.11S 122.88E 169.3 4.6 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
2005/03/24 07:38:01 39.84N 77.69E 26.0 4.9 SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
2005/03/24 07:36:02 38.81N 122.80W 4.4 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
2005/03/24 07:33:51 7.12N 34.07W 10.0 5.5 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
2005/03/24 06:43:32 40.90N 143.06E 49.7 4.6 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
2005/03/24 06:18:28 41.12N 142.85E 10.0 4.9 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
2005/03/24 06:08:36 55.95S 27.08W 53.4 5.0 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
2005/03/24 04:22:57 36.58N 121.18W 7.2 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
2005/03/24 03:27:08 50.69N 22.78W 10.0 4.5 NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

2005/03/23 23:43:43 39.40N 40.94E 10.0 4.7 EASTERN TURKEY
2005/03/23 21:44:53 39.42N 40.85E 10.0 5.7 EASTERN TURKEY
2005/03/23 21:12:00 11.60S 56.78W 10.0 5.1 MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL
2005/03/23 15:41:35 6.97S 155.78E 64.3 4.5 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G.
2005/03/23 14:54:09 6.83S 155.75E 47.3 4.8 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G.
2005/03/23 13:59:19 55.57S 1.53W 24.5 5.8 BOUVET ISLAND REGION
2005/03/23 13:30:29 10.16S 161.35E 74.1 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS
2005/03/23 12:44:20 63.20N 149.72W 97.0 3.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
2005/03/23 11:59:08 38.81N 122.81W 4.6 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
2005/03/23 11:32:07 14.77S 76.26W 22.5 4.7 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
2005/03/23 11:16:22 19.36N 64.99W 25.2 3.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS
2005/03/23 10:55:51 55.28S 0.81W 10.0 4.8 BOUVET ISLAND REGION
2005/03/23 09:54:25 28.76N 139.32E 447.1 4.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
2005/03/23 09:17:06 12.32N 92.54E 30.0 4.9 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
2005/03/23 08:49:17 5.62S 154.28E 144.4 4.4 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
2005/03/23 07:45:27 23.23S 66.59W 195.5 4.3 JUJUY, ARGENTINA
2005/03/23 05:59:07 26.11N 95.23E 65.9 5.0 MYANMAR-INDIA BORDER REGION
2005/03/23 04:57:11 46.20N 122.19W 1.1 2.8 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
2005/03/23 00:07:06 33.88N 118.45W 11.2 3.4 SANTA MONICA BAY, CALIFORNIA

2005/03/22 22:49:23 40.25N 142.33E 62.1 4.4 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
2005/03/22 21:38:06 2.36N 126.11E 111.1 4.8 MOLUCCA SEA
2005/03/22 19:29:52 7.09S 129.20E 116.1 5.1 KEPULAUAN BABAR, INDONESIA
2005/03/22 19:20:07 35.94S 177.74E 243.0 OFF EAST COAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND, N.Z.
2005/03/22 19:15:09 40.97N 128.06W 10.0 4.2 OFF THE COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
2005/03/22 17:27:34 27.86N 52.75E 45.3 4.4 SOUTHERN IRAN
2005/03/22 16:20:55 10.41N 62.39W 8.5 4.6 NEAR COAST OF VENEZUELA
2005/03/22 16:04:09 33.22S 72.29W 34.2 4.3 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
2005/03/22 15:53:35 18.70N 121.77E 87.0 4.4 LUZON, PHILIPPINES
2005/03/22 15:23:36 19.50N 108.90W 10.0 4.5 REVILLA GIGEDO ISLANDS REGION
2005/03/22 15:18:39 46.71S 165.95E 33.0 3.8 OFF WEST COAST OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, N.Z.
2005/03/22 15:13:51 45.04S 165.19E 75.0 4.5 OFF WEST COAST OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, N.Z.
2005/03/22 14:55:02 20.41S 174.15W 23.7 4.9 TONGA
2005/03/22 14:12:03 45.03S 166.77E 5.0 4.0 OFF WEST COAST OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, N.Z.
2005/03/22 14:08:07 43.29S 171.55E 12.0 3.8 SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND
2005/03/22 13:39:39 1.29N 126.48E 70.1 4.7 MOLUCCA SEA
2005/03/22 11:41:47 20.08S 68.80W 123.6 4.1 TARAPACA, CHILE
2005/03/22 09:38:28 13.07N 92.47E 38.2 5.2 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
2005/03/22 09:03:13 35.00N 2.92W 11.0 4.1 STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR
2005/03/22 08:55:05 33.28N 116.26W 5.0 3.7 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
2005/03/22 08:47:12 6.36S 153.99E 63.7 5.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
2005/03/22 08:11:50 31.84N 88.06W 5.0 3.3 ALABAMA
2005/03/22 06:55:35 33.68N 130.20E 10.0 4.8 KYUSHU, JAPAN
2005/03/22 06:25:57 22.24N 123.69E 22.6 4.5 SOUTHEAST OF TAIWAN
2005/03/22 05:37:30 5.33N 94.42E 30.0 4.5 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
2005/03/22 03:47:48 36.85N 121.58W 6.0 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
2005/03/22 03:11:19 6.94S 125.47E 519.2 4.4 BANDA SEA
2005/03/22 02:55:41 36.68N 71.22E 90.4 4.7 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
2005/03/22 02:45:29 49.51S 116.96E 10.0 4.3 WESTERN INDIAN-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
2005/03/22 02:38:52 49.49S 116.98E 10.0 4.3 WESTERN INDIAN-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
2005/03/22 02:23:11 49.38S 117.15E 10.0 4.3 WESTERN INDIAN-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
2005/03/22 02:03:32 49.43S 117.19E 10.0 4.1 WESTERN INDIAN-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
2005/03/22 01:25:49 42.61N 0.83E 7.0 2.6 PYRENEES
2005/03/22 00:45:08 36.72N 71.53E 127.3 4.2 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
2005/03/22 00:28:28 14.65S 76.08W 41.0 4.6 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL PERU



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