[dropcap]D[/dropcap]o we really need to worry about an earthquake in West Hollywood? There’s really no way to predict when, or if, the Hollywood earthquake fault recently mapped by the California Geological Survey (CGS) will rupture. But it’s important to be mindful that earthquakes big and small do occur in Southern California. The U.S. Geologic Survey notes that because “a major portion of the world’s earthquakes each year center around the rim of the Pacific Ocean (Ring of Fire), referred to by seismologists as the circum-Pacific belt, this is the most probable location for today’s earthquake.”
The approximate location of the Hollywood earthquake fault has been known for a long time. But, a CGS representative explained, the mapping was done to precisely locate it and see if it is active. Apparently it is.
“Based on the information gathered in the CGS study, it appears that the Hollywood Fault last moved 7,000 to 9,000 years ago,” the CGS spokesman said in an email to WEHOville.com. “The CGS definition of an active fault is one that has moved in the last 11,000 years, with the assumption that faults that have ruptured in recent geologic time are more likely to rupture again and cause earthquakes. There is no known way of predicting when a fault will rupture because we cannot measure the stresses in rocks at the depths where earthquakes occur.”
It is worth noting that the relatively dense population of Los Angeles County combined with 100 identified earthquake faults, make the risk of damage from an earthquake large. Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the U.S. Geologic Survey, told the Los Angeles Times that those conditions mean “Los Angeles County has one-quarter of the nation’s seismic risk in our county alone.”
The Southern California Earthquake Center tracks earthquakes closely. It offers an interactive map that one can use to see how many earthquakes have occurred in the last hour, day and week in Greater Los Angeles. For the seven-day period ending at 9:03 p.m. this past Monday night, it had counted 28, most nothing more than tremors.
On the pages that follow, WEHOville answers questions about the Hollywood earthquake fault and what you can do to protect your life and property from possible damage.
Page 2: Where does the Hollywood earthquake fault go in West Hollywood?
Page 3: Have there been major earthquakes in West Hollywood in the past?
Page 4: Are there major buildings within the Hollywood earthquake fault line zone?
Page 5: If I don’t live or work in a tall building in the fault line zone, is my risk of injury from an earthquake minimal? How can I tell if my building is “earthquake proof”?
Page 6: What is the City of West Hollywood doing to protect its residents from a possible earthquake?
Page 7: What can I do to prepare for a possible earthquake?
Would never ever wish that, roger. You are not thinking of the innocent victims of such a disaster.
I hope it’s a 10.0
Sodom and Gommorah had it good compared to what Hollywood deserves.