Earthquakes in Utah

Growing up in the Western United States, one fact has always been true, It's not if an Earthquake will hit, rather When.

The Richter Scale was developed by Charles Richter in 1935 as a means of categorizing local earthquakes. It is a collection of mathematical formulas that measures the strength or magnatude of earthquakes. More specifically, it's a logarithmic scale that measures the amount of energy released during an earthquake on the basis of the amplitude of the highest peak recorded on a seismogram. Each unit increase in the Richter scale represents a 10-fold increase in the amplitude recorded on the seismogram and a 30-fold increase in energy released by the earthquake. Theoretically the Richter scale has no upper limit, but the yield point of the Earth's rocks imposes an effective limit between 9.0 and 9.5.

One of my houses was built directly on top of the San Andreas Fault in Southern California. This fault is one of the more active faults in the world, and is predicted to deliver a 7+ magnatude earthquake in the San Fernando Basin, near Los Angeles, CA. When I moved to Salt Lake City, UT, I was interested in the environment, such as skiing, hiking, mountain biking, NOT for earthquakes. The wasatch fault is apparently due for a magnatude 7+ earthquake as well. Now, it appears that I cannot avoid having the risk of earthquakes follow me, which is a little unnerving in it own. I started researching this fault line, it's active history, and the potential for destruction. After doing this, for the first time in my life, I am worried. The frequency of this fault shows activity approximately every 1300 to 1700, which according to geologic accounts is approaching 1700 years from the last event.

That type of frequency, the regularity of it has prompted a very profound urgency for emergency preparedness. 72 hour emergecy food kits, tools to shut off gas meters, and instructions on how to secure water heaters and other devices in the house. If an earthquake occurs, not only will there be the typical shifting of earth, a liquification due from the limestone/sandstone composition and high water table will cause extensive damage and deaths as a consquence. The apocolyptic view projected is a very real possibility and with the pressure constantly building and showing signs of stress due to the upshift in the plats have caused emergecy officials to publish seismic reports and safe zones in the cities and rural area's.

For an updated Image of Utah, Please go here http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/39.41.-113.-111.php