US Has Its Faults

Think California is the only part of the US that has geological faults? Well, you'd be very wrong. The US has several that could cause catastrophic earthquakes. The New Madrid fault in the center of the country last had four earthquakes in 1811 and 1812, estimated to be between magnitude 7.0 to 8.0. The area was sparsely populated back then so the damage to homes and buildings was very limited, although the quakes at one point caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards for a time. If a similar quake happened now, the effects would be devastating. Since many of the buildings in Memphis are unreinforced, they would collapse readily in a strong earthquake. Here's a link to an article at ABCnews.com that goes in to detail about what could happen: Link . It's a frightening scenario that is an all too real possibility.

Earthquake Photos

I was looking at photos taken after the earthquake and tsunamis in Japan and the damage is mind boggling. Some areas were completely obliterated and there are city streets completely blocked by debris. There is a photo of the large cargo containers used to ship goods that were strewn about like toys and large ships washed up on shore. There are cars on top of buildings and mud and debris piled up all over the place. It's going to take a while to restore everything back to normal. The sheer magnitude of the disaster is almost too big to comprehend. Aid is on the way and I'm sure clean up operations will be in full swing in a few days. Given the extent of the damage, I'm sure it'll be several months before any sense of normalcy will be returning to Sendai and the surrounding areas. I wish the Japanese people all the best and that they can repair the damage and get back to their regular daily lives as quickly as possible.

Japanese Earthquake

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake hit Japan today. It has caused extensive damage and major tsunamis that have devastated the coastal areas. Strong aftershocks continue to shake the country. I want to extend my condolences to the Japanese people in their time of need. Let's hope aid gets there soon. The US Navy is preparing to go in once the arrangements are made with the Japanese authorities. I hope that they can get there and begin to help the Japanese crews with the rescue efforts.