California's Earthquake Big One Help Please!!

Question

Well I was in Vietnam since the beginning of summer, and just today, i figure out there was a earthquake in Los Angeles (Can someone give some details on that) Also, when will the big one hit and how would it affect Westminster in California??? Also how can I convince my family to be serious about this, my mom and sister think i'm lieing and won't be serious about this, they even think earthquakes probably can't happen in California. My dad is the only one being serious about this one. Help please

Answer 1

Yes.....because its entirely impossible that an earthquake can happen in a state that lies on top of a fault line.  Your family is dumb.

No one knows when the big one will hit.  People have predictions, but no real evidence to back it up.  There is pressure building in the moving plates, though, so there will eventually be one, just nobody knows when.

The earthquake we just had was a 5.4, with 2 after shocks right after, a 3.8 and a 3.6, and one the next day, a 3.0.  I don't think there were any deaths (Thank God) but minor injuries were reported.  I'm glad you are okay!!

This is a site that I have been looking at a lot lately, tracking all the aftershocks from the earthquake tuesday.

http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Maps/118...

Answer 2

Given the nature of plate tectonics and the location of California/So Cal on a plate boundary, it's inevitable that we will have a "big one." What it will be like, where it will hit, and when, nobody can tell. There are plenty of active faults all over the area, so it's a c**p shoot. Safe to say, though, that the nastiest is the good ol' San Andreas North of LA county. It's hooked on a large snag, and when/if that shifts, it could be a whopper. Until then, we have plenty of smaller quakes to endure.

A note from Wikipedia about the nature of the San Andreas:

"After crossing through Frazier Park, the fault begins to bend northwards. This area is referred to as the “Big Bend” and is thought to be where the fault locks up in Southern California as the plates try to move past each other. This section of the fault has an earthquake-recurrence interval of roughly 140-160 years."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Andreas...

The San Andreas is more of an inland fault near SoCal, which may be why people have (mistakenly) assumed that the area would "drop into the sea." We may get shaked-and-baked, but not drowned...

Of course, Westminster in on the coast, so they have the added burden of a) possible mini-Tsunamis and b) possibly living on sand/conglomerate that will exacerbate the effects of a quake.

It all depends on where it occurs.

Finally, predictions come and go. All we know for certain is that there will be quakes, some bigger than others. As of now, there are no reliable indicators that I am aware of regarding prediction of a major quake. Just need to be prepared for what comes.

Last note: I personally always have a 1-month supply of food and other vitals on hand. Important to be prepared to be self-sufficient in this geographic area.

Answer 3

well a earthquake there is going to happen sooner or later, there saying that all over national geographic and stuff. anyway, here's the los angeles earthquake new report http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/30/quake.r...

as for proving a huge earthquake, try looking it up on google or somthing :)

good luck and i hope you don't die. :)