Study: Large Earthquake Could Strike New York City

livescience.com ^ | August 21, 2008 | Robert Roy Britt

[Free ThinkerNY]

The New York City area is at "substantially greater" risk of earthquakes than previously thought, scientists said Thursday.

Damage could range from minor to major, with a rare but potentially powerful event killing people and costing billions of dollars in damage.

A pattern of subtle but active faults is known to exist in the region, and now new faults have been found. The scientists say that among other things, the Indian Point nuclear power plants, 24 miles north of the city, sit astride the previously unidentified intersection of two active seismic zones.

The findings are detailed in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.

[Repeal The 17th]

“Large Earthquake Could Strike New York City”
- - -
But then again . . .

[tet68]

Scientists find fault with NYC.
More to follow.

[TribalPrincess2U]

Uh, plan ahead mean anything?

[Man50D]

I’m moving to California.

[SamAdams76]

Well this might sound a bit cynical but I'm thinking that if an "earthquake" hit Manhattan, not many people would notice.

This is because Manhattan is a busy, bustling place with people constantly in motion, moving here and there with great rapidity.

I'm thinking an earthquake would barely register with these very busy people. Even if a very large earthquake occurred, people would still be lining up to buy newspapers and a "New York slice" of pizza for lunch.

[FlyVet]

I wouldn't doubt it. Northern Maine had a fairly strong earthquake in the early 80's. It cracked the support wall at the Loring AFB hospital.

There was a small earthquake while I was stationed there in the late 80's. What a weird feeling that was, to feel your apartment sliding back and forth underneath you, and the dishes rattling. I wouldn't want to be in the Big One, in a densely populated city with lots of tall buildings.

[edcoil]

dup from 20 minutes ago

[LukeL]

If there is an earthquake there is a big chance of a tidal wave or "storm surge" like event hitting NYC, and those subways IIRC are below sea level so the waters will stay there until you can pump it out and that would be a ton of water to move.

I would hate to see what would happen if lower Manhattan was shit at rush hour.

[ari-freedom]

Been there, done that.

[Repeal The 17th]

“I would hate to see what would happen
if lower Manhattan was shit at rush hour.”
- - -
I heard it was like that all the time.

[LUV W]

The sky is falling....the sky is falling.....

*sigh*

[avalonmistmoon]

I already saw the movie. Wasn’t there one made with Jennifer Garner where she running around the ruins of NYC looking for father. It was entertaining.

[Postman]

Oh, drat!!!Just when we might be getting our minds around the construction of a few new nuclear power plants.

[buccaneer81]

I wouldn't doubt it. Northern Maine had a fairly strong earthquake in the early 80's. It cracked the support wall at the Loring AFB hospital.

I was a college student across the border in New Brunswick that day. It was a Saturday morning in January, 1982. Epicenter was near Plaster Rock, NB (about 25-30 miles east of Loring.) 5.8 on the Richter Scale.

Scared the crap out of me.

[eyedigress]

Global Warming?

[Mr_Moonlight]

Yeah yeah yeah yeah ... and a big comet could hit the Earth at any time and wipe out 99% of all life as well as drastically changing the geology and weather conditions on the planet ....

It's a dangerous Universe out there, so go drive yer SUV, enjoy, and fergittabottit!

[buccaneer81]

Here's a map of that quake:

[Snickering Hound]

[FlyVet]

And 5.7 is just a little one. Imagine an 8 in NYC or San Francisco. I took a bus tour through the San Fran business district years ago. All those tall buildings, it felt like we were driving through a canyon.

All I could think was, I do NOT want to be here when the Big One hits.

Our tour guide told us that the population increases by one million people during a business day. If it hits then, there's gonna be a lot of suffering and dying.

[GOPJ]

Hmmmm, that plant was in the news tonight. Seems there’s a big push to close it down. Wonder what they’ll find next?

[LukeL]

Wow, didn’t catch that typo, didn’t know spell check allowed curse words. Maybe that was a subconscious thought on my views of NYC.

[buccaneer81]

You’re right. I travel to NYC four or five times a year, always stay in Midtown. Even a magnitude 6 would cause an incredible mess.

[BillyBonebrake]

The Adirondaks get their share of rumblers. We felt one in Canton in 1983.

[K-oneTexas]

I thought I read or heard on some show that NYC sat on bed rock or granite and it would be impossible for an earthquake there. Course they say the same about Central Texas even though we sit on a fault line ... that hasn’t been active for about a million years. That’s why the builders don’t build buildings and highways for them.

[BBell]

Not sure but this is interesting.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BBell, another good one. Also, there's an Edgar Cayce angle for those still into that -- very near the end of his life, he had a lucid dream in which he lived in the mid-21st century, and (among other things) NYC was just a pile of rubble due to Earth changes. :') As I said, for those still into that...

· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic ·

[razorback-bert]

Forget the subways tunnels, think of the water tunnels.

No water to fight the fires.

[rdl6989]

Yikes!

[SunkenCiv]

125th Street fault

Google

fault in manhattan

Google

[SunkenCiv]

NYC Regional Geology
http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/highlands/highlands.html
http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/images/fig10.jpg

Small Earthquakes Strike NYC
http://www.dukelabs.com/NYC%20Quake/NYCQuake.htm
http://www.dukelabs.com/NYC%20Quake/Lobeck.jpg

N.J. is not immune to quakes
By Bob Groves, Staff Writer, The Record, Bergen County
Friday, March 2, 2001
http://www.earth.columbia.edu/news/story3_1_01.html

[ApplegateRanch]

Study studying Studies Study concludes studiers can conclude anything from studying past studies: Global Climate Change cited as possible cause.

[SunkenCiv]

There are faults running right across Manhattan, tall stuff / other heavy stuff just isn’t constructed on them. :’)

[ApplegateRanch]

Study studying Studies Study concludes ...."

Study studying Studies Study Study concludes more research needed.

[Cboldt]

-- I thought I read or heard on some show that NYC sat on bed rock or granite and it would be impossible for an earthquake there. --

The geology is granite, but that doesn't preclude a quake. When they happen, and they do (another is inevitable on geologic time scales), they are spectacularly energetic.

Unrelated to New England quakes, check out earthquakes in the central US.

[SatinDoll]

I don’t worry about nuclear power plants and earthquakes: those places are built to last like the great pyramids in Egypt.

But New York City skyscrapers? There are old building in NYC made mostly of brick that will crumble into dust!

[Merlinator]

there have been 3 very minor quakes in that central area in the past few days.

[Repeal The 17th]

Freudian, to be sure.

[Canedawg]

There is a relatively large fault line running thru Harlem (not far from BJ’s office, iirc).

[FDNYRHEROES]

“Large Earthquake Could Strike New York City”

Women & Minorities Hardest Hit...

[K-oneTexas]

Thanks for the info. I know LA and Japan build their buildings and highway overpasses and such on 'earthquake' technology. Developed by engineers to aid the structures to withstand quakes.

Does NYC do that? I know Austin doesn't as there was a series on the news several years back when a big LA or Frisco quake occurred.

Texas I think is sorta like NYC on it's bedrock and things. All the scientists seem to think it wouldn't happen ... but Mother Nature has a way of throwing curve balls.

I've read about the New Madrid fault for years it is something smack dab in the middle and it has some long fingers streaking out. California faults seem to run north to south while New Madrid runs east to west.

Interesting subject. I just don't ever want to be caught in one! I'd rather m experience be through reading.

[Towed_Jumper]

Bloomberg will blame the quake on the vibrations caused by “illegal guns” firing in the city.

[neverdem]

thanks, bfl

[xcamel]

Already happened...

Near New York City, New York
1884 08 10 19:07 UTC
Magnitude 5.5
Intensity VII

Isoseismal Map

This severe earthquake affected an area roughly extending along the Atlantic Coast from southern Maine to central Virginia and westward to Cleveland, Ohio. Chimneys were knocked down and walls were cracked in several States, including Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Many towns from Hartford, Connecticut, to West Chester,Pennsylvania.

Property damage was severe at Amityville and Jamaica, New York, where several chimneys were “overturned” and large cracks formed in walls. Two chimneys were thrown down and bricks were shaken from other chimneys at Stratford (Fairfield County), Conn.; water in the Housatonic River was agitated violently. At Bloomfield, N.J., and Chester, Pa., several chimneys were downed and crockery was broken. Chimneys also were damaged at Mount Vernon, N.Y., and Allentown, Easton, and Philadelphia, Pa. Three shocks occurred, the second of which was most violent. This earthquake also was reported felt in Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Several slight aftershocks were reported on August 11.

Abridged from Seismicity of the United States, 1568-1989 (Revised), by Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1993.

[AFreeBird]

Yea, but you know all those SF skyscrapers were designed and built to earthquake code. I don’t think NYC scrapers can say the same.