Devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have killed tens of thousands of people. Well, some scientists may come to the disaster zone to learn more about the impact of a similar earthquake that might occur on the San Andreas fault, California, United States.
The East Anatolian Fault, where the Turkey quake occurred, bears many similarities to the San Andreas fault that divides California. The San Andreas Fault is expected to cause major earthquakes in the future.
"In coming days/weeks geologists from California (and elsewhere) will be arriving in southern Turkey to document, measure & study the Eastern Anatolian Fault Zone and the effects of this massive earthquake," the California-based geologist tweeted. , Brian Olson.
Olson points out the similarities between the San Andreas and East Anatolia faults. "Both are shear faults that are part of the main plate boundary. Both have produced M 7.8-7.9 earthquakes historically," he said.
He cited historical records for the devastating M 7.9 earthquake that hit San Francisco in 1906, killing 3,000 people, and the equally strong 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake in California.
The San Andreas Fault was also responsible for the 6.9-magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 in the San Francisco Bay Area, which killed 63 people.
By studying the impact of the earthquake in Turkey, scientists can learn more about how an earthquake of the same magnitude on the San Andreas fault in California impacts the area.
The San Andreas Fault itself stretches for 700-800 miles, or about 1,126-1,287 kilometers, reaching the Salton Sea in Imperial County to Cape Mendocino in Humboldt County.
For a depth of up to 10 miles, or about 16 kilometers. Speaking of age, the San Andreas fault has existed since about 28 million years ago. However, it was only discovered in 1895 by Professor Andrew Lawson from UC Berkeley.
San Andreas is like a ticking time bomb that could cause a major disaster. In one study, the San Andreas fault could later cause earthquakes larger than magnitude 7.0. San Andreas was made into a 2015 film starring Dwayne Johnson. The story, of course, is about the devastating earthquake in California.