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Post by 1dave on Nov 24, 2017 12:05:31 GMT -5
California usually gets all the "glory," but Utah isn't far behind - ranked 9th in severity among the states. www.livescience.com/1140-study-lists-top-10-earthquake-states.htmlAlaska is first, California, Nevada, Hawaii, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Oregon as #10.   many, but not random! Western Utah is moving west.  More than 700 quakes occur here every year in over 215 potentially active faults, the biggest being the northern Wasatch Fault and the southern Hurricane fault. So the US is becoming wider - separating where the Rio Grand runs north and south, and along the Wasatch Front, And where California is cutting free. |
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Nov 24, 2017 19:10:19 GMT -5
If it's somehow escaped your attention 1dave , John McPhee's wonderful book "Basin and Range" is an absolute tectonic "must read" about your general area. In fact, all of his books in the "Annals of the Former World" are page turners for people like us. Another for your "local" interest is his "Rising from the Plains," about the plate tectonic history of Yellowstone, the Tetons and a wonderful human interest story into the bargain. When I lived in Salt Lake City I used to stop and wonder at the abrupt little 50 or so foot hill that runs along 13th East, knowing it was a fault upthrust. SLC and the whole Wasatch Front sit on the very dangerous Wasatch Fault and when it goes (as it eventually will) it will be a terrible disaster. Having driven through that area recently and seen the tremendous amount of development there I was very concerned. I remember waking up to a Richter 4 quake in SLC and thanking my stars it wasn't the Big One. |
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Post by 1dave on Nov 24, 2017 21:41:42 GMT -5
gemfeller, I sleep with that book (Annals of the Former World)in my bookcase headboard and re-read it about every four years. John did one heck of a job in writing it!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Nov 24, 2017 22:51:28 GMT -5
gemfeller, I sleep with that book (Annals of the Former World)in my bookcase headboard and re-read it about every four years. John did one heck of a job in writing it! I figured McPhee probably hadn't escaped your attention. I do much the same -- the subject and writing are so compelling I re-read the books often. |
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lookatthat
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Post by lookatthat on Dec 5, 2017 12:31:26 GMT -5
This map (top one)is a bit deceptive as it shows Vermont as having no earthquakes in more than 30 years... but you see, it's a small state, and I can assure you we have experienced many earthquakes in the past 30 years. They just were epicentered elsewhere -- primarily in NY, Quebec, and Ontario. For various reasons, earthquakes east of the Rockies affect a much larger region (for the same magnitude) than those west. I live in the Northwest corner of Vermont, our house is built directly on the ledge, and we have gotten ones that woke me up and sent me running through the house shouting. We've had ones that rattled the dishes in the cupboards, jiggled the kitchen table, and caused the hanging lamp to swing. Are we going to experience "The Big One" here? Unlikely... though areas both north and south of us are "overdue." Now that Boston is largely built on fill, it would be a terrible mess if they got one like they did some 350 yrs ago (approximately.) And not far north of the border, in Canada, historically has had some pretty severe quakes.
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lookatthat
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Post by lookatthat on Dec 5, 2017 12:41:26 GMT -5
Addendum:
The Cape Ann (MA) earthquake was 1755.
The massive quakes (about 7.5 mag) near Charlevoix, Quebec occurred in 1638 and 1663.
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Post by 1dave on Dec 5, 2017 13:55:13 GMT -5
Yeabut . . . There is no place on earth that does not suffer from earthquakes, but those on the plate borders suffer more than most. Interesting to me is that the US is pulling apart west from east in central Colorado and western Utah. Here in Utah we have around 700 per year. Look at the line Washington (5), Idaho (6), Utah - Wasatch Fault & Hurricane Fault dividing eastern and western Utah (9), and Arizona - continuation of the Hurricane Fault (13). The other line is the Texas - The Rio Grande River Bed RGRB (17), New Mexico - RGRB (11), Colorado - RGRB (14), Wyoming (7), and Montana (8). in both lines, the quakes are generally more common and severe the further northwest they go. |
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Dec 5, 2017 15:07:37 GMT -5
Hey 1dave, unless my eyes are failing me (very possible) there's no #3 on that last map. Which state is it? |
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Post by 1dave on Dec 5, 2017 15:26:34 GMT -5
Hey 1dave, unless my eyes are failing me (very possible) there's no #3 on that last map. Which state is it? WELL HIDDEN! Hawaii. For some reason (the number color choice) the 3 is in black with a little white on some edges. looking at the map again makes me wonder if the Mississippi isn't another pulling apart place. |
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lookatthat
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Post by lookatthat on Dec 7, 2017 16:28:25 GMT -5
New Madrid
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Post by 1dave on Dec 7, 2017 17:42:09 GMT -5
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