An earthquake struck the southern regions of Mexico. It was of 8.2 magnitude and left dozens of people dead and a trail of destruction that will take time to heal. This quake is believed to have been the largest in the country in nearly a century and is a warning to South California. This state, like Mexico, is in a seismically active region and prone to quakes. It has witnessed quakes of smaller magnitudes but these cannot be taken lightly because they could get bigger and result in large scale devastation.
The severity of the earthquake in Mexico can be gauged from the fact that it released several times more energy than the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck San Francisco in 1906.
That quake killed thousands of people and led to a fire that destroyed portions of the city.
Caution for California
Los Angeles Times reports that seismologists have cautioned south California about possibilities of a major earthquake similar to the 8.2 quake that Mexico witnessed. It would be a major disaster for California because of the natural formation of underground rocks. The path of the San Andreas fault is located a few miles from downtown Los Angeles and it passes below areas that have a lot of infrastructure and a concentration of people. Such a combination could mean unimaginable damage to lives and property.
Underground faults are creations of nature and it is necessary to be aware of the presence of such dangers and take suitable precautions.
Southern California is prone to quakes but the last one major one it experienced was in 1857 which was more than a century back. The magnitude was 7.8 and damage was not overwhelming because, at that time, the population was not as dense as it is at present.
Considering the existing scenario, an 8.2 magnitude earthquake, like the one in Mexico, would affect counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino and large scale devastation cannot be ruled out.
Quake damage cannot be prevented
Earthquakes are a natural phenomenon and seismologists can predict the occurrence but not the extent of the damage. Damage prevention and construction techniques have a been improved as far as possible. There is not much else that can be done.
The quake in Mexico occurred in the ocean. It was off the coast, about 450 miles from Mexico City and was at a depth of nearly 43 miles under the surface.
Therefore, the effect at the ground level was mild. In the opinion of seismologist Lucy Jones, if such a quake happened in Southern California, it would be at a lesser depth and the results would be more serious because of the high density of the population above the ground.
