This California landmark may be preventing a major earthquake

SF Gate ^

[NohSpinZone]

Unlike the Bay Area, which has seen two major earthquakes in under 120 years, Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California are in a 300-year “seismic drought” that’s baffled scientists for years.

Research published this week has revealed that a toxic 300-square-mile lake, and its effect on the pent-up tectonic plates below, may be a big reason why.

In short, the drying of the Salton Sea in modern times has, for now, reduced pressure on the San Andreas Fault and delayed the “Big One,” which may one day wreak devastation on the Los Angeles basin and its 13 million residents.

“It’s the weight of the lake on the Earth’s crust,” said Ryley G. Hill, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate at San Diego State University’s geological sciences department and UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, over the phone. “Imagine bending a ruler. You’re bending the upper crust, and this changes the stress in the area of the fault.”

[NohSpinZone]

Interesting, a dry lake bed is the reason LA hasn't had the Big One yet? Oh and climate change + white supremacy, of course.

[for-q-clinton]

Fill that lake up!

[Antihero101607]

Is there a thermal exhaust port we can exploit?

[1of10]

Didn’t I hear about an old lake bed area out there that hadn’t had water on it in a hundred years ... staring to fill up?

Some where ... the valley ...somewhere ..

anyone ?

[George J. Jetso]

Oh no the big one is coming.

[jjotto]

Lake Tulare

[Right_Wing_Madman]

This California landmark may be preventing a major earthquake

This is a dubious theory. Unless the dried-up lake is preventing the movement of tectonic plates, there's going to be an earthquake. In fact, an earthquake drought is probably bad news for California. More pressure has built up over time, which will result in a bigger snap, or quake.

[cartoonistx]

You’re referring to Tulare lake in the central valley. It filled up after our major rain/snow events this year.

Also the Salton Sea is far from dry yet!

[HartleyMBaldwin]

This theory seems odd. They speak of a 300-year “seismic drought” due to the Salton Sea drying up, yet the Salton Sea didn’t exist for most of that period. I’m confused.

[markman46]

more BS from some phd candidate from SDSU and scrips how sad

[Bullish]

Uh, yeah except the Salton Sea is not a dry lake bed by any means.

[Kozak]

And it’s only existed since the 1905 when a canal got breached.

[1of10]

“Tulare lake in the central valley.”

Yes ... thanks , is it still filling up?
I haven’t seen anything about it for a while...

....could it get really heavy? ....hmmmm .... please

[NohSpinZone]

That’s Tulare Lake that started refilling during the crazy tains we got this season.

[MeganC]

The lake as we know it is only about 100 years old and when it was created it didn’t cause any major quakes.

[Do_Tar]

Look for California to drain all of their now full reservoirs (again) to help stave off the “Big One”.

[1of10]

“Lake Tulare “

Is it still filling up?

How big could it get if it did fill up?

Could it get really heavy?

I haven’t heard anything about it in weeks , I thought it was odd it just dropped out of the news.

I’m not saying I’d like any one hurt .... but ya gotta admit it would be pretty cool to see california slip on off into the sea.
(I was born there)

[jjotto]

178 sq mi

Said to be maxed out.

https://abc7news.com/tulare-lake-reaches-peak-california-2023/13356811/

[The Free Engineer]

I heard that also and reservoirs are at capacity so I would expect it to fill .

[1of10]

“I would expect it to fill .”

Kidding aside ... water is very heavy and can have some interesting effect on the land mass around it ...

since your a Free Engineer .... I’ll ask you ...do you think the filling of that lake could be a factor in geological instability in the area ... or .. nothing burger..?

or .... what do you think of the Long trains they run now ?

he he ....trains ....