1000 साल से कैलिफोर्निया के नीचे जमा हो रहा प्रेशर, आएगा ‘महा-भूकंप’, बर्बाद हो जाएगा लॉस एंजेलिस – San Andreas San Jacinto Fault mega earthquake
Scientists have warned in a new research that the two most prominent fault lines of Southern California, San Andreas and San Jacinto, have accumulated the most pressure at this time compared to the last 1000 years. This study, conducted under the leadership of experts from the University of Hawaii and the US Geological Survey (USGS), has sparked a new debate regarding seismic hazards.
Using a modern ‘physics-based model’, researchers have tracked the increasing pressure on these faults from the year 1000 AD (CE) to the present day. The results of this study show that beneath densely populated metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles and Riverside, there is a huge threat brewing underground that could lead to a major catastrophic disaster at any time. Earthquake Can take the form of.
What is this new research and how was the pressure measured?
In this historic research, scientists have deviated from traditional methods and used a special computer model, which understands the physical movements occurring within the Earth and the pressure of tectonic plates. With the help of this model, data of the last one thousand years was analyzed, so that it could be known how much pressure has increased or decreased on different parts of these faults over time.
The study found that the pressure on the ‘Mojave South’ part of the San Andreas Fault has increased to 2.8 megapascals (MPa). On the other hand, on the ‘Bernardino Strand’ of the San Jacinto Fault, this pressure has been recorded even higher i.e. 3.6 megapascals (MPa).
According to scientists, this is the highest level of pressure at these two places in the history of the last 1000 years. This pressure is an indication that the rocks beneath the earth are now at the last limit of their tolerance.
Cajon Pass: Possible center of mega-earthquake
The most worrying thing in this entire research has come to light regarding ‘Cajon Pass’. Cajon Pass is the geographical location where the San Andreas and San Jacinto Faults come very close to each other. Scientists are considering this place as a main ‘junction’ or contact point.
Due to Cajon Pass, both faults can be connected to each other in such a way that if an earthquake starts on one fault, its vibration or crack will activate the other fault as well. If this happens, it will be a simultaneous rupture of many cracks, which can be much larger and more destructive than any normal earthquake in history.
An earthquake caused by the convergence of two large fault lines can have a magnitude of 7.5 or more on the Richter scale, causing southern California There could be massive devastation in a large part of India.
Decades of peace are increasing big danger
If we look at the history of California, there has been no major earthquake in the Mojave South part of San Andreas since 1857. San Jacinto’s Bernardino branch last saw movement in 1968. This peace of the last several decades or rather centuries is not really a matter of relief, but it is the knock of a big danger.
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When two tectonic plates rub against each other and the fault line between them does not move, there is a constant accumulation of energy and pressure. This is called seismic gap. Since the Mojave South segment has been completely quiet for more than 150 years, so much pressure has accumulated there that whenever the fault ruptures, the energy released will be unimaginable.
This is not a prediction, but a warning to prepare
The main author of this research, Lillian Burkhard, has clarified that the purpose of her study is not at all to predict the occurrence of an earthquake at a certain date or time. Present science does not have any technology that can tell exactly on which day or at what time an earthquake will occur.
According to Burkhard, the real purpose of this research is to better prepare the administration and the general public for the future. This data will prove to be extremely helpful in disaster management and urban planning for cities like Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino.
Using this information, local governments can make their building codes more stringent, so that future buildings can withstand the shocks caused by such high pressure. Additionally, this data can also be used to strengthen aging infrastructure, such as bridges, water pipelines and electricity grids.
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