ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Geology

California faces tsunami risk – L.A. specifically threatened

It's not just the San Andreas fault - a new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research reports that there are several long faults on the U.S. West coast which can cause significant earthquakes, as well as tsunamis.

Dragos MitricabyDragos Mitrica
June 1, 2015
in Geology, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

Before and After: satellite imaging shows the depth of Japan earthquake devastation
The Internet’s response to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami
Japan Earthquake causes Earth axis to tilt – shortens day!
Magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes Northern Japan, small tsunami created

It’s not just the San Andreas fault – a new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research reports that there are several long faults on the U.S. West coast which can cause significant earthquakes, as well as tsunamis.

This map shows the California Borderland and its major tectonic features, as well as the locations of earthquakes greater than Magnitude 5.5. The dashed box shows the area of the new study. Large arrows show relative plate motion for the Pacific-North America fault boundary. Mark Legg

“There are many active faults offshore southern California which could produce greater then magnitude 7 quakes and tsunamis,” Mark Legg, who runs a Southern California consulting firm called Legg Geophysical and is the lead author of the study, said.

Geologists gave a collective criticism to the big-budget San Andreas movie, labeling it as a “classic” disaster movie with little science behind it. But that doesn’t mean that California isn’t threatened by seismic activity; the San Andreas area is way overdue for a major earthquake, and it’s likely gonna be big. The surveys of the region show a “complicated logjam” of faults produced by the movement of the Pacific Plate, sliding in relative motion to the North American Plate.

“What they were searching for are signs, like those seen along the San Andreas, that indicate how much the faults have slipped over time and whether some of that slippage caused some of the seafloor to thrust upwards,” the American Geophysical Union, which publishes the journal, said, in a press release.

Larger imageSCEC Community Fault Model. This map shows the 3-dimensional structure of major faults beneath Southern California. Image via Earthquake Country.

Legg said that while most geophysical studies (and movies) focus on the inland San Andreas fault, offshore faults still hold a great potential for damage. A geological fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, accompanied by major displacement. Most major faults emerge at areas of tectonic pressure, usually at the edge of tectonic plates. He and his colleagues gathered seafloor bathymetry data which revealed that two of the largest faults (the Santa Cruz-Catalina Ridge Fault and the Ferrelo Fault) have advanced in recent decades and are now connected to the smaller faults in the Borderland. Connected faults can be a major problem because they cause a domino-like effect, where movements on one fault trigger further movement and displacement on other faults.

A schematic block model of Southern California showing the motion of the Pacific and North American plates, and the big bend of the San Andreas fault where the plates squeeze together. Image via Earthquake Nation.

“The more connected the faults are, the more they can cause larger earthquakes,” said Paul Umhoefer, a geologist at Northern Arizona University. “The more detailed data that was gathered in this study is important for judging whether there is an earthquake and tsunami hazard.”

The good news is that even if a tsunami emerges, it won’t be as large as tsunamis generally get in subduction areas. Most tsunamis are caused by earthquakes generated in a subduction zone, an area where an oceanic plate is being forced down into the mantle by plate tectonic forces. But even if a 2 meter tsunami is generated, it could cause massive damage on the coast.

Legg also warned that we can’t even understand what damage a potential tsunami might cause, because we don’t have enough bathymetry data on the U.S. West coast.

“We’ve got high resolution maps of the surface of Mars,” Legg said, in a statement. “Yet we still don’t have decent bathymetry for our own backyard.”

 

Tags: Journal of Geophysical ResearchSan Andreas faulttsunami

ShareTweetShare
Dragos Mitrica

Dragos Mitrica

Dragos has been working in geology for six years, and loving every minute of it. Now, his more recent focus is on paleoclimate and climatic evolution, though in his spare time, he also dedicates a lot of time to chaos theory and complex systems.

Related Posts

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Environment

The Japanese Mayor Who Built a Floodgate No One Wanted — and Saved His Town

byMihai Andrei
3 months ago
Geology

Periodic San Andreas fault earthquake may still be imminent despite period of calm

byMihai Andrei
1 year ago
Image by Régis Lachaume. Propagation of a tsunami offshore, showing the variation of wavelength and amplitude as a function of depth.
Earth Dynamics

How do tsunamis form?

byMihai Andrei
2 years ago
Earth Dynamics

The biggest tsunami ever recorded: Taller than 500 meters

byMihai Andrei
2 years ago

Recent news

Scientists Blasted Human Cells With 5G Radiation and the Results Are In

May 15, 2025

Orange Cats Are Genetically Unlike Any Other Mammal and Now We Know Why

May 15, 2025

Scientists Found ‘Anti Spicy’ Compounds That Make Hot Peppers Taste Milder

May 15, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.