Plate Tectonics Press Release

Hello, my name is Ashley Stein and I am here to teach you some important information about earthquakes, the dangers of the plate tectonics and faults in the area, and the historical disaster as well as the future potential for earthquakes in the Los Angeles area. An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip in fault which in return causes the shaking of the ground. All states have fault with California having the most. The fault lines that run throughout Los Angeles area can lead to all different types and sizes of earthquakes. Because of this many of the structures have been designed to with stand severe shaking. Even though these buildings have been built to withstand this damage they are still in jeopardy to receive damages. One of these damages would be flooding. Earthquakes can damage dams or levees along a river which would cause lots of water to flow to the buildings and maybe even trapping people inside leaving them to drown. Another type of damage that could occur with an earthquake would be fires, earthquakes can cause gas lines to break or power lines to snap, this would in turn cause sparks to fly and a fire to start causing buildings to be burnt and people to die.

Although these hazards are always a possibility, earthquakes themselves are nothing but shaking episodes, it is that of what the shaking could cause that will in turn cause the extensive damages. I want you to think about something for a minute, when someone jumps off of a boat into the water it causes waves to move outwards from the initial object. The origin of an earthquake is the same way. When there is sudden movement within the earth’s crust it causes shock waves which moves outward from the initial starting point. There are two main causes of earthquakes. First an earthquake can be linked to an eruptive volcano; second earthquakes can be triggered by tectonic activity associated with plate margins and faults. Even though these both can trigger earthquakes, if an earthquake is happening, it is more than likely caused by the tectonic activity associated with plate margins and faults. Los Angeles is located on the Pacific Plate, nearby are also the Santa Monica fault and the Newport-Inglewood fault. These two faults are quite long and are very capable of producing an extensive earthquake causing lots of damage.

These two plates lie right underneath the highly populated western Los Angeles County; therefore those people are at significant risk of danger. Now I want to take you back in time when the first strong earthquake took place. This earthquake happened in 1769, and this happened in the Los Angeles region. In 1872 there was another very strong earthquake, it estimated 5.5M with an epicenter in the Santa Monica Bay, but was so strong that it was felt in the Los Angeles area. In 1994 a 6.7M quake was located 20 miles west of Los Angeles and centered on the Pico Thrust. This earthquake occurred on a blind thrust fault and produced the strongest round motions ever recorded in an urban setting. This particular earthquake killed sixty people, injuring seven thousand, twenty thousand were homeless and more than forty thousand buildings were damaged. (Huffington Post, 2013).

In the Los Angeles area there will always be a risk for earthquakes, California has a 99.7% chance of having a 6.7 magnitudes or larger earthquake in the next thirty years. A higher magnitude earthquake has a lesser percentage of happening in the Los Angeles area. If you live in an area that is at high risk for earthquakes you can do some things that can help protect your lives and your home, those precautions that you can take are make sure your home is earthquake resistant, check with your local state to make sure your construction meets earthquake construction requirements. You should make sure that your larger items in your home such as refrigerators, bookcases, televisions, and stoves are securely fastened to the walls of your home so that if an earthquake does happen these things will withstand the maximum shaking. In case of a fire make sure that you have fire extinguishers are in several rooms of your home and where you can easily access them. Also if you are experiencing an earthquake stay calm, do not panic, and get your family to the safest room in the home.

References
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.earthquake.gov
http://lacounty.gov
www.google.com
http://sandandreasfault.org