Video: San Andreas Fault could be more destructive than previously reported
BERKELEY (KRON) – A major earthquake along the San Andreas fault could be more destructive than previously reported, according to at least one seismologist from Southern California.
Now, quake experts in the Bay Area are weighing in on the subject.
A UC Berkeley professor talked to WISH-TV’s sister station KRON about the likelihood of the next big one.
“What I said was that the San Andreas fault is locked, loaded, and ready to roll,” said Thomas Jordan, who is with the Southern California Earthquake Center.
So, should we be all freaked out by this?
“Well, I’m not sure we should be freaked out by this,” UC Berkeley professor Richard Allen said. “We should be responsive to this.”
That is the outlook of the director of UC Berkeley’s Seismological Laboratory Dr. Richard Allen. He is responding to one of his colleagues down south.
Professor Jordan of the Southern California Earthquake Center made recent comments about a major quake along the San Andreas fault being long overdue.
“So 1857 was the last big earthquake on the southern section of the San Andreas fault,” Allen said. “Of course, the northern section of the San Andreas fault goes through the Bay Area here, (it) was 1906, so it was more recently, but they have both been very quiet since then, and so it is quite possible that we could have a big earthquake on either section.”
While Allen agrees with Professor Jordan’s comments regarding the 810-mile stretch of the San Andreas fault being quiet, foreshadowing the next big natural disaster, he cautions against such a major quake causing Hollywood type destruction
“It is certainly possible that we have a big earthquake, and there will be a lot of damage, seeing all of San Francisco collapse is very unlikely.”
Dr. Allen said instead of focusing on the damage an 8.0 earthquake could cause on the San Andreas fault, it is better for us to focus on being prepared for the big one.
“We all should be doing the same things to prepare by thinking about the buildings we are living in, and thinking about how we are going to protect ourselves in the shaking and thinking about how we are going to respond in the days afterwards,” Allen said.
He said the Bay Area is very fortunate to have modern building codes in place but said older structures are still vulnerable.