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Showing posts from October, 2019

Are We Prepared?

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The Big One... Are We Prepared? On Saturday, 5th October 2019, an earthquake struck the Bay Area of San Francisco. The earthquake was recorded to have a magnitude of 3.5 on the richter scale ( see more here ) and three micro-quakes, earthquakes of 2.0 or less on the richter scale, followed.  San Francisco's last major earthquake ( see here ) was in October of 1989, which struck with a magnitude of 6.9, killing 63 people and causing damages of more than $5 billion. This event was preceded by a 68 year period with only low-magnitude earthquakes. However, following the 1989 earthquake, the activity has been similar to that of 1836-1911, during which period there were 18 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or more ( more information here )( timeline of earthquakes 1880-1914 ). For this reason, geologists are concerned that the greater San Francisco area will experience more frequent and larger earthquakes, and the possibility of an event with magnitude of 7.0 or more within the nex