2008
The Earthquake Capital!!
Filed Under (General California, Uncategorized) by debby on 13-11-2008
Tagged Under : Calaveras fault, earthquake prone zone, Hollister california, interesting facts of california, seismic zone
Have you ever heard of any place where an earthquake takes place every hour and still is a prosperous and developing one? Well there are around three such places in California which is situated at the San Andreas fault and is an area of interest for many geologists. Hollister, Coalinga and Parkfield are the places which are one the highest earthquake prone zones in the world.
Hollister, known as the “earthquake capital of the world”, is one of the best examples of aseismic creep in the world. In geology, an aseismic creep is a measurable displacement along a fault in the absence of a notable earthquake.
The Calaverus fault is such and example and this is the fault which goes through the city and bisects it into the northern and the southern half. The houses and the streets built across and through this fault have significant effects. These areas fall under the ripple of tremors throughout the day. Hence this literally means that people living here experience slight tremors everyday and have remarkably adapted to it. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake had caused massive destruction to this place but that was due to a slip in the San Andreas fault and not due to the aseismic creep in the Calaverus fault. But some geologists still fear that a slight onset of these tremors could probably lead to massive destruction or even disappearance of the entire area. Inspite of this, Hollister is an upcoming place and is definitely present in the map of the U.S.
For further information:
Contact:
City Department
375 Fifth Street,
Hollister, CA 95023
Phone: 831-636-4300
Fax: 831-636-4310
To know more click here




