1.17 - San Andreas Flashcards
Where does California sit?
A transform / conservative / strike-slip plate boundary
What is the fault line called that runs 1300km through California?
San Andreas fault line
How often does California see earthquakes?
Thousands of small earthquakes per year with larger more destructive ones occurring every decade
What major cities are at risk?
San Francisco and Los Angeles
How easy is it to modify an event?
- difficult for EQs due to the unpredictability of time and magnitude
- easier with California though as big earthquakes happen every decade
Which events are easier to modify?
Volcanic activity or tsunamis
What did people do in Mt Etna in 1983 to modify the event?
Put lava diversion barriers in place
What did people do in Heimaey in 1973?
Sea water spray to cool and solidify lava flow
What did people do in Mt Pinatubo in 2001?
Draining crater lake to reduce lahars
What can you do to reduce tsunami impact?
Modify the coastal landscape
- Japan sea walls
Indonesia mangrove forests
What high tech does California have for monitoring events?
- NASA has upgraded GPS stations
- Sensors collect GPS, pressure temperatures and seismic data in real time
- computer models work out disaster potential
- sensors added to buildings to determine whether they are safe or dangerous
How has California worked on predicting events?
ShakeAlert is an early warning system that sends a text
How has California adapted to events?
- seismically reinforced and modern emergency operations centre
- 180 seismic retrofits
What has California done to educate people on events?
- spent $3.3m in 2012 on drills and training exercises
- annual Golden Guardian exercise simulates a catastrophe earthquake in the Bay Area, a bit like a drill
What is community preparedness like in California?
- ruled by California state law, mayor is no longer in charge
- all agencies work together
- Twitter sends alerts about emergencies
