Oct 15, 2009 7:23 pm US/Pacific
Livermore To Feel Intense Shaking In Big Quake
LIVERMORE (CBS 5) ―
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The seismograph in the CBS 5 newsroom recording a magnitude 3.8 earthquake near Sunol on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.
CBS
If a major quake ruptures along one of the Bay Area's main faults, Livermore's local geology promises a whole lot of shaking.
Livermore is the one of the easternmost cities in the Bay Area. Some might think the folks living here feel relieved that Livermore is far from the looming dangers of the Hayward fault.
So is Livermore safe? Most residents told CBS 5 they worry about quakes.
Dr. David Schwartz is a geologist and seismic expert at the U.S. Geological Survey. He said Livermore residents have a reason to worry. Dr. Schwartz said Livermore is actually situated in a basin, sort of a depression in the earth's crust that is filled with softer deposits.
If a big quake hits along the Hayward Fault, Livermore needs to watch out.
"When the seismic waves enter, they get trapped and they go back and forth and they shake longer," said Dr. Schwartz.
Using computer simulation, Dr. Schwartz showed what would happen to downtown Livermore if a magnitude 7.0 quake ruptured along the Hayward fault, 45 miles away in San Pablo Bay.
"Those are the s-waves, coming into downtown Livermore, and now, whack! Just look at the waves, the way the ground moves as the s-wave propagates. It's like a bowl of Jell-O," Schwartz said.
So CBS 5 showed the animation to area residents, and we found out, the ground is not the only thing shaking. People were shocked every time we showed the animation.
Genevieve Pastor-Cohen works for Livermore-Pleasanton fire. She watched the simulation with other emergency response teams and now, she said, they are rallied to action. Neighborhood response teams are meeting, and discussing quake plans and Pastor-Cohen is up to date on her emergency supplies kit.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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