If you enjoy earthquakes you'll love California!! (Los Angeles, San Francisco: mattress, how much)

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by sedonaaz

When I studied an earthquake map of Southern California, the area of least seismic activity was N. County San Diego. amazing they built a nuclear plant there? no accident I'm sure.

There may be no rhyme or reason. Diablo Canyon (nuclear power plant) was built directly on an earthquake fault.

[Collideascope]

Originally Posted by cre8

There may be no rhyme or reason. Diablo Canyon (nuclear power plant) was built directly on an earthquake fault.

You simply engineer the containment building such that it will withstand any conceivable earthquake.

The problem with earthquakes isn't that it is impossible to engineer structures that are impervious to anything short of an actual surface rupture appearing beneath them and swallowing them up, but that it is generally cost-prohibitive to do so. It would be cost-prohibitive to engineer the five million private homes in southern California to withstand earthquakes. On the other hand, it's not cost-prohibitive to so protect the sole large nuclear reactor in southern California.

In fact, the containment building at the San Onofre NGS would be an exceptionally safe place to be in the event of a large local earthquake.

[Cattknap]

I've lived in CA my whole life - I was born here...earthquakes have never caused us any damage other than a broken figurine or two in over 50 years...I don't worry about earthquakes at all.

[sedonaaz]

Originally Posted by Cattknap

I've lived in CA my whole life - I was born here...earthquakes have never caused us any damage other than a broken figurine or two in over 50 years...I don't worry about earthquakes at all.

along with 35 million other people. 500,000 people in new orleans didn't worry about hurricanes either. you have never been through a real earthquake, if a broken figurine is the worst you've experienced. congrats. I actually thought earthquakes were fun, and californians were paranoid. but I wasn't laughing during the northridge quake. I didn't expect to live through it.

[grisandole]

Originally Posted by sedonaaz

along with 35 million other people. 500,000 people in new orleans didn't worry about hurricanes either. you have never been through a real earthquake, if a broken figurine is the worst you've experienced. congrats. I actually thought earthquakes were fun, and californians were paranoid. but I wasn't laughing during the northridge quake. I didn't expect to live through it.

I thought earthquakes were fun until Northridge. That one still scares me. The sound....do you remember the sound? Like a huge roar....it was awful. I was in North Hollywood, in a third floor apartment, and the building bounced up and down and side to side- everything was thown around. My then 1yo was spending the night at his babysitters...in Northridge. He got a concussion from a bookcase falling on his head

I am not looking forward to dealing with earthquakes again. We don't have much in the way of disasters where I currently live, in rural Northern AZ. Wildfires are about the only concern....and those don't take you by surprise.

[sedonaaz]

well, its one of those things that if you haven't been through it, you can't describe it, and people don't really believe you. (when it was over, I immediately called my mom in TX, told we had a huge quake, that I thought it was the 'big' one and she would see it on the news, but we lived through it. then the phones went dead.)

just like folks who have never been through a major hurricane. they have hurricane parties, instead of getting the hell out. that is actually how a lot of those thousands of galveston folks died in 1900. drowned from storm surge while having hurricane parties.

yes I'm in AZ too. part of the decision had to do with not waiting around for the next big quake in CA. even if you live through it, if you own property, you're wiped out financially. a lose lose proposition. and at least with the wildfires, yes, there is some warning.

with earthquakes, they could happen any second. there is no way to be prepared at every moment.

[cynwldkat]

Yes, until you have gone through an earthquake it's VERY hard if not impossible to pass any judgement on anyone who has gone through a major earthquake. I can't say they are fun, maybe exciting, IF you are farther away from it and only get a few broken figurines. But I promise you, to be in a major earthquake can change a persons life.

[SouthBayTodd]

no hurricanes, no tornadoes, no hot sticky humid weather, no bugs...

the very infrequent earthquake that usually does no harm is a small price to pay for the most beautiful state in the nation

[sedonaaz]

Originally Posted by SouthBayTodd

no hurricanes, no tornadoes, no hot sticky humid weather, no bugs...

the very infrequent earthquake that usually does no harm is a small price to pay for the most beautiful state in the nation

yes I would agree with you. if it were true.
here is a little recent info for you

"A new estimate of the effect of an earthquake along the Puente Hills fault shows that damage could occur on an unprecedented scale.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 to 7.5 would result in 3,000 to 18,000 deaths, 142,000 to 735,000 displaced households, and up to $250 billion in property damage, according to research by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Southern California Earthquake Center at the University of Southern California. The disaster would be the costliest in U.S. history.

The damage would be especially severe due to the fault's location under Los Angeles County and adjacent to Riverside and San Bernardino counties. In addition the fault runs under older, more vulnerable commercial and industrial structures.

By contrast, the most heavily shaken areas in the 1994 Northridge earthquake consisted mainly of wood-frame residential structures.

Estimated damages would also be greater than for a repeat of the historic 1857 San Andreas Fault earthquake"

http://www.physorg.com/news4263.html

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by Collideascope

You simply engineer the containment building such that it will withstand any conceivable earthquake. ...the containment building at the San Onofre NGS would be an exceptionally safe place to be in the event of a large local earthquake.

Well, it better be. Hardly a second chance with a nuclear accident. To me the gamble is way to high to have nuclear power plants in California. But that's me; I'm risk averse. Anyway, the plants are here now, so what can one do? I've heard talk that Diablo might be converted to gas. Couldn't be soon enough for my sensibility.