Living in the Mountains in Provo? Is it on the Fault? (Salt Lake City: fit in, apartment)

[joyannevana]

I am trying to get an apartment in the Provo area, convenient to everything. But I have one concern. How is it living in the mountains and is it on the fault?

Thanks,


Joy

[MrAnderson]

Well Provo isn't 'in the mountains' per se, it's in a valley surrounded by mountains though, like everywhere in Utah. And yes, there are active faults.

[ChrisC]

Originally Posted by joyannevana

I am trying to get an apartment in the Provo area, convenient to everything. But I have one concern. How is it living in the mountains and is it on the fault?

Thanks,


Joy

The Wasatch Fault is only a few miles from greater downtown Provo--so it's practically right on the fault. It is a concern. A gamble that around 2 million people along the Wasatch Front are willing to take.

You won't be in the mountains in Provo. Provo is in a rather large, high, semi-arid valley (4500 ft) with the high mountains to the east and desert ranges to the west. If you actually want to be in the mountains, you'll have to go east (Heber, Midway,Charleston, Sundance, Wallsburg, etc). These places are east of the fault.

[irman]

Uhmmm ... when you move here, and the fault does rumble .....
Your fault ...
Not my fault .....
.
.
.
.
couldn't resist ....

Seriously, if you start looking at geographic conditions, in order to be safe,
then I would not even leave my house, because I might get run over by a bus .....
Historically, No serious movement by any faults here ....
Just get here, make the best of it,
and enjoy Utah.

[ChrisC]

Good point.

I think the "Utah Driver" (a particularly dangerous form of a 'crappy driver') is probably more of a threat around here.

[irman]

Originally Posted by ChrisC

Good point.

I think the "Utah Driver" (a particularly dangerous form of a 'crappy driver') is probably more of a threat around here.

Uhuh ...
And the reason is ....


Utah driving laws = A philosophy


Uhmmm .... we are getting off topic .....

So: to the OP
download this
http://geology.utah.gov/online/pdf/pi-38.pdf

And lurk here:
http://geology.utah.gov/utahgeo/haza...dex.htm#faults

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by joyannevana

I am trying to get an apartment in the Provo area, convenient to everything. But I have one concern. How is it living in the mountains and is it on the fault?

Thanks,


Joy

Provo isn't "in the mountains"; it's in a valley. A gorgeous valley at that. And yes, it's on the Wasatch Fault. Don't let that worry you. There are somewhere around 750,000 people who basically live "on the fault" and don't give it a thought, other than having some basic essentials handy, just in case. You don't have to worry about toronados or hurricanes in Utah. We're told "the big one" is just about due, but I've lived in Salt Lake City for 61 years and can remember only a couple of very minor quakes.

May I ask why Provo, though? Unless you're LDS, there might be areas where you'd fit in better and be happier.

[Lamborgotti]

^ He/she said the mountains in Provo. And also, you don't need to be surrounded by people who are the same as you to be happy, unless you are very singular.

Living on an actual fault line (and I'm not just referring to a general area where a fault is, an acutal fault line which can be mapped easily) is no worse than living in the valley, which in the event of a major earth quake would actually be more dangerous. The valleys are bowls of sediment, and the sediment ripples just like water when the bedrock around it moves. That sediment would shake longer and worse than a fault line would.