Some of the hazards associated with the earthquakes in Los Angeles include the effects of ground shaking where buildings are destroyed by the ground beneath them thereby, settling them to a different level than it was before the earthquake as seen in the Long Beach earthquake that destroyed a large number of public schools (Climate Policy Watcher, 2018). Another hazard is the ground displacement which occurs along the fault. When a structure is built across a fault, then ground displacement can completely rip apart a structure. Such a fault is the San Andreas Fault that extends through California. Consequently, flooding is also a main hazard, which is caused by the predisposition of earthquakes in the Los Angeles region (Climate Policy Watcher, 2018). The earthquakes can rupture river and dams which will then flood surrounding areas, an example, is the Santa Ana River.
Earthquakes originate from abrupt motion along a fault from a volcanic eruption, landslides, and anything else that releases energy in or on the earth. As such, the first point in the Earth where the energy is released is the area that lies on one side of the fault plane that moves relative to the rocks on the other side of the fault plane (Climate Policy Watcher, 2018). During the first slide occurrence, the area surrounding the focus experiences many smaller earthquakes as the surrounding rocks also slip past one another to even out the deformation caused by the initial earthquake shock. Earthquakes are also caused by tectonic movements in the Earth crust. However, the main cause is when tectonic plates collide with the other and, therefore, results in earthquakes. The collision of tectonic plates has been the sole cause of the majority of the earthquakes experienced in different parts of the world (Climate Policy Watcher, 2018). Consequently, earthquakes are also caused by the vibrations set up in the earth’s crust which spreads outwards in all directions from the source of the disturbance.
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There is a relationship of earthquakes to plate tectonics and faults in Los Angeles. Firstly, the city lies near the San Andreas Fault line in which one of its sides moves up while the other moves down instead of them moving apart (Climate Policy Watcher, 2018). This movement of the fault lines releases energy, which causes the earthquakes. As such, the fault lines facilitate the tendency of earthquakes to occur in Los Angeles. Also, Fault lines are produced when two tectonic plates meet. This in turn portrays that there are active tectonic plates in the LA region, which could also lead to the occurrence of earthquakes. As mentioned earlier, most of the earthquakes are triggered by plate movements in the earth crust.
The following are the historical disasters associated with past earthquakes in the Los Angeles region. The first occurred in 1769 which was recorded by the Spanish explorers and the Catholic missionaries as they traveled along the Santa Ana River near the present site of Los Angeles but did not cause any damages. The second earthquake was in 1933 which was known as the Long Beach earthquake transpired in a populated area and destroyed a great number of public schools buildings in the Long Beach and Los Angeles (Climate Policy Watcher, 2018). The biggest earthquake occurred in Los Angeles in 1994, known as the Northridge earthquake that happened in January, and had its epicenter in Reseda. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7, and it produced a ground acceleration of the highest ever recorded, and its motion was felt in Las Vegas (Climate Policy Watcher, 2018). This destroyed property worth $50 billion, there were massive death tolls, and many more people were injured.
There is a likelihood that potential future earthquake events may occur. According to the director of the Southern California Earthquake Centre, the San Andreas Fault seems to be in a severe state and could generate a more significant earthquake soon ( Climate Policy Watcher, 2018). This is because there has not been a major discharge of stresses in the southern portion of the San Andreas Fault system since1857. Therefore, this means that the Pacific and the Northern plates are moving in an approximately northerly direction and the Pacific plate is moving faster than the Northern, consequently, it causes stress and the plates are continually building up. The activity of these tectonic plates depicts the likelihood of potential earthquakes in the future.
References
Climate Policy Watcher. (2018, July 4). Origins of earthquakes - Plate tectonics . Retrieved from https://www.climate-policy-watcher.org/plate- tectonics/origins-of-earthquakes.html
