From the Daily Mail: "Scientists say catastrophic earthquake nicknamed 'The Big One' could actually be TWO following terrifying discovery." From the lede:
California's fearsome 'Big One' earthquake looks increasingly like it might actually be two, scientists have warned.
Researchers uncovered the strongest evidence yet that a tremor along the infamous Cascadia Subduction Zone could trigger another along the San Andreas Fault line.
The tandem earthquakes could happen just minutes apart according to a study by Geosphere, stretching emergency response services and spelling disaster for millions of people.
So, potentially, we could see major earthquake damage all along the most densely populated portions of the West Coast including Seattle to Portland and San Francisco through Southern California.
Meanwhile...on the other side of the country...is a ticking time bomb named the "New Madrid Fault." Last time it unleashed itself was in the 1800's...and was reputed to have rung church bells as far away as Pennsylvania...as well as temporarily reversing the flow of the Mississippi River...and sending undulating waves through the landscape near the epicenter. If that were to happen today, it would IMO be even more catastrophic than the West Coast because there is a lot of nothing between the coastal cities of California and the Rocky Mountain range. If the New Madrid ever has a major event, there will be chaos and death on an unprecedented scale. We've already seen from Hurricanes Katrina and Helene how the government lacks the ability to provide any meaningful assistance.
ReplyDeleteYes. And it would also destroy the Old River Control System, resulting in the Mississippi permanently diverting.
ReplyDeleteWould we really miss California?
ReplyDeleteProbably about as much as they would miss flyover country.
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