How often are there earthquakes in California? (live)

[nightcrawler]

Originally Posted by MynameisnotPeter

Why would from somewhere WITHOUT earthquakes to somewhere WITH earthquakes?

BECAUSE THE WEATHER IS SO MUCH BETTER.


also being from NY, I would move to Palm Springs in a heartbeat if i could, so I have to wait to retire.

I think, like some posters said, earthquakes are "better" that tornadoes and floods and hurricanes....or something to that effect.
because there are going to be tornadoes and hurricanes....with more damage.


I too would rather live in the desert and chance the earthquake.

the last 3 times i was in PS, I felt a little shake every morning in the hotel, just a slight jolt, but i felt it....id still chance it.

[DMenscha]

Originally Posted by MynameisnotPeter

There's never been an earthquake where I live (in Texas).

Mapped: The Latest Earthquake Swarm in Texas (Update) | StateImpact Texas

Yep, you're right.

[cephalopede]

As someone who's suffered from anxiety and the lot for a long time, let me chime in with a thought:

moving isn't going to fix things.

Don't get me wrong. it might help you. Getting away from familiar surroundings, out from under your parents, in with a new social group...those are all important things that can lead to self discovery. But it's not a magic bullet. You're going to find that there are plenty of girls here (and everywhere, fyi there is nowhere in the world where women are going to be obligated to talk to you because you're nice, so get that out of your head right now, burn your fedora, and toss any PUA books you have laying around. if you don't yet have any of these things, DO NOT ACQUIRE THEM) that are shallow and stuck up. There are just as many jerks who won't care about you. There are just as many people absorbed in their own lives.

You're going to get out of your location what you put into it. Not every location is the same, no, but if you're an anxious shut in too afraid to leave the house in Texas, you're probably going to be an anxious shut in too afraid to leave the house in California, and nothing will change.

So before you embark on an ill-planned move, try to work on things you think you need to work on. If you want to come to California, that's awesome, welcome aboard. Think of the meantime as making yourself California-ready. Therapy is a great tool, see if you can use it. If not, push yourself out of your comfort zone in smaller ways. Go outside for no reason. Go someplace new. Engage in smalltalk with the person ringing up your groceries. Say hi to a stranger. Try out a new hobby--especially one that makes you go outside and talk to people.

If you do these things, you might find Texas is alright. Or you really might like California better. But whatever you decide at that point, you're going to be able to undertake it with more confidence, which is going to increase your chances of success at whatever you're doing.

Regarding earthquakes, don't worry. There is nothing you can do about them, and it is exceedingly rare that we have one that causes serious damage. We had a 6.9 about fifty miles off the coast recently, and after 30 seconds of rolling all was well. I'll take that over the threat of hurricanes, tornadoes, or a million feet of snow anyday.

[threepounduniverse]

Originally Posted by Erratikmind

The Loma Prieta earthquake on 10.17.89. It was a magnitude 6.9 quake.

Yep... I lived on Loma Prieta Mountain in Boulder Creek at the time... what a ride! It was awesome how the communities up there and much of Santa Cruz too pulled together and everyone pitched in... I worked for months at a local food shelter and with the emergency services up in the hills... to this day there are three jokes every long-time mountain local 'gets'- why the stoplight the County installed in Boulder Creek never worked (people shot it out until it was finally taken down after Route 17 re-opened), asking a neighbor if they've received their FEMA check yet (next to nothing came through for ANYBODY, EVER), and calling Ben Lomond 'Ben LomOND', mimicking the hilarious stupidity of the first CNN reporter 'on the scene' in the San Lorenzo Valley.

The other ironical/hilarious footnote to Loma Prieta was when a local news reporter was broadcasting live from an SF cemetery holding many of the 1906 SF Quake's victims on the six-month anniversary of Loma Prieta... the reporter, under an umbrella and holding a microphone felt a tremor of maybe 3.5-4 hit WHILE HE WAS REPORTING from there live on the air. While the camera recorded the tremor, the reporter dropped everything and dashed off-camera. For months afterward, many of my friends in the Santa Cruz County area wore their shoes to bed and there were tents all over the parks and town greens from Watsonville to Pacifica... it rattled us but good!

OP, if I were you I'd heed Ruth4Truth's advice in BOTH her posts. Trust me, she knows whereof she speaks.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Mr5150

Anything less than a 6.0 is no biggie to me.

I actually think the little ones (under 5.0 ) are kinda fun, esp the rolling ones.

Me too, lol... I'm actually disappointed when I don't feel the decent ones!

I was here (just shy of 13 years old) when the Loma Prieta hit, and THAT was scary. But other than that, and one I experienced from a high hotel room in Vegas, they've really been no big deal. Most of them you won't even feel, and the BIG ones hit very infrequently. As the others have said, you're more likely to die or lose your home to a tornado, hurricane, etc, out there in Texas.

[TheDragonslayer]

Originally Posted by Erratikmind

The Loma Prieta earthquake on 10.17.89. It was a magnitude 6.9 quake.

1992 we had a 7.2, 6.8 and 6.9 in 24 hours. The Loma Prieta was not the the last large significant earthquake we had and 7.2 is not huge, huge is 8 or bigger. I lived in Oakland for the 89 earthquake and had just moved here to Humboldt county and was living less than 3 miles from the epicenter of the 7.2.

[TheDragonslayer]

Originally Posted by freepelican

Oregon, and the entire west coast, is at high risk for earthquakes on the Cascadia subduction fault. You can google it to see thousands of references to this. Here are a couple of write-ups:

Oregon Next Big Earthquake | Cascadia Fault | LiveScience

The Giant, Underestimated Earthquake Threat to North America | DiscoverMagazine.com

I have noticed that Oregonians seem to be less aware and less concerned than Californians but they should be.

Thank you freepelican, too many ignore the risk of a mega thrust earthquake on the cascadia subduction zone.

In the event of a mega thrust earthquake of the size similar to the 2004 Sumatra earthquake, many parts of Oregon would be destroyed by 50 foot waves. Humboldt county could anticipate 30 foot waves and we would have maybe 30 minutes to get to high ground, once the shaking that could last as long as 4 minutes, seized. The last mega thrust earthquake was on January 26th of 1700 around 9:30 at night and it is estimated to have been around 9 to 9.2. The 1992 Petrolia quake was a mega thrust quake and when it was done, the lost coast and Kings Range was raised nearly 4 feet and the Eel river basin near Ferndale tipped down by almost the same amount that resulted in unexpected winter flooding the next very wet year. A full rip on the Cascadia subduction zone could go from Shelter Cove to British Columbia and do major damage from Humboldt county to Seattle, many areas could not see help for 3 months.

[Pilotprincess]

Originally Posted by MynameisnotPeter

There's never been an earthquake where I live (in Texas).

Texas and Florida have a very, very low likelihood of seismic activity. Enjoy that.

[Pilotprincess]

Originally Posted by Spikett

I felt that one and I'm in Burbank.

To the OP, California doesn't just have one fault, there are many, many of them. Some we don't even know about until they move. The San Andreas is the biggy of course, but the others can do a lot of damage too.

There is a nice little fault between Glenoaks and the Castaway here in Burbank. It's called the Verdugo Fault. Lovely.

[Des-Lab]

This is probably the best visual I've been able to find that details the overall estimated risk of earthquakes in CA. This is also a morbidly fascinating graphic simulating the long projected "big one". But it only covers SoCal.