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Dear New York Region, Your 4.8 Quake Wasn't Nothing. Some Love And Advice From Your LA Friends
The USGS reported an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 struck in New Jersey about 50 miles west of New York City.
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Courtesy USGS
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It is an extraordinarily strange feeling for the earth to move underneath your feet, especially if you didn't grow up somewhere where it regularly happened.
When I first moved to L.A., I was so unnerved by what I now understand to be a pretty insignificant quake (a 3.9!) that my then-editor sent me out to tour the San Andreas fault. That tour didn't make me feel much better.
So the headlines Friday morning describing the region as "rattled" by a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 seems like a pretty mild term.
Keeping a 4.8 in perspective
Putting earthquake magnitudes in context with other events, both natural and created by humans.
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Courtesy Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology, IRIS.
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How seriously would we take a 4.8 here? Well, at LAist we have a template for earthquake coverage with advice on magnitude from Jacob Margolis, our science reporter and resident earthquake expert. It says this:
- Below Magnitude 3.0: Not worth covering.
- Magnitude 3.0 to 4.0: Keep it really simple. People are always interested so every quake big enough for a big number of people to feel is an opportunity to get our prep guides and podcasts in front of them. Worth doing some additional reporting on if it was in or near a highly populated area. Don’t expect damage or any impacts besides people freaking out.
- Magnitude 5.0: Some damage should be expected if it struck in the middle of a highly populated area. The shaking was likely felt in further off locations as well.
- Magnitude 6.0: You should be looking for reports of shaking and potential damage across multiple counties.
- Magnitude 6.5 and above: Expect infrastructure damage (cell network failure, power outages, water boil notices, gas leaks, etc), deaths, potential building collapses. Good luck!
How the East Coast and West Coast differ
Felt the #earthquake?
— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) April 5, 2024
Earthquakes in the eastern U.S. are felt over a MUCH bigger area than the West Coast.
Why?
Eastern U.S. has older rocks. They were subject to extreme pressures and temperatures. They’re denser and so shaking travels much farther.
Example: pic.twitter.com/Yxmv2ytb7f
Living with the threat of a Big One
Of course, here in Southern California we live knowing that, inevitably, a much larger earthquake will strike. So we tend to take events elsewhere, whether the massive Taiwan quake or what just happened on the East Coast, as an opportunity to do what Jacob advises above: Get the word out to get ready.
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In 2021, Jacob and I worked on The Big One: Your Survival Guide, a podcast that was aimed at making Angelenos aware of how destructive a big quake will be and spurring them to action. As I edited at home, my young sons started asking questions like: Why do we live here, mom?
The scenario we examined had a quake striking in the desert about 160 miles from downtown Los Angeles. At a magnitude of 7.8, it's enough to throw people to the ground, topple buildings, fracture streets and infrastructure. There's about 50 seconds of very strong ground shaking, followed by aftershock after aftershock. Some 10 million people will experience intense shaking.
One review called it "speculative journalism," which seems fair. The team spent months interviewing experts and researching the science of earthquakes and other recent big quakes to create the podcast and resources. We did that deep reporting in order to imagine a scenario that could very much happen but has not yet taken place in our modern era. It's been more than 160 years since the last massive San Andreas fault quake.
Do we have your attention? It's time to get ready.
Listen
If you want to vicariously experience the moments and aftermath of a 7.8 earthquake....
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Listen
• 31:11
Listen
• 31:11
You’re at Union Station when the big one hits. The next two minutes are terrifying. By the time you make your way outside, the Los Angeles you know is gone. In Episode One, you experience what the first hours after a massive earthquake could be like.
If you'd like an entertaining tutorial on earthquake science (my favorite episode)
Listen
• 34:28
Listen
• 34:28
A polar bear killer, a Sputnik-inspired scientist, a man who uses the past to see the future and seismologist Lucy Jones. What do they all have in common? Without them, we wouldn’t understand the what, when, why and how of the big one.
Tips
Earthquake prep resources
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We don't want to scare you, but the Big One is coming. We don't know when, but we know it'll be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge and 11 times stronger than the Ridgecrest quakes in 2019. To help you get prepared, we've compiled a handy reading list
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- Your Guide To Surviving The Big One
- For Earthquakes, Forget The 'Go-Bag.' Here's How To Prepare
- How To Not Get Life-Threatening Diarrhea After A Major Earthquake
- 10 Earthquake-Related Questions To Ask Your Landlord Immediately
- How To Prepare For An Earthquake If You Have A Disability
- Listen to our Podcast The Big One: Your Survival Guide
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