Scientists Are PANICKING After NEW Studies On Earthquake Fault Lines Right Now!

[Music] [Music] this is the map of the Pacific Rim Where seismic activity beneath our feet is far more unpredictable than we ever imagined imagine waking up to the ground shaking violently buildings crumbling and the Sea rushing in a scene that could become reality when either the San Andreas Fault in California or the Alpine fault in New Zealand unleashes its full force but here's the twist scientists are warning that both of these tectonic Giants are overdue for catastrophic Quakes the question is are we prepared for what's coming let's dive into the seismic details background on seismic faults the San Andreas fault stretching across California is one of the most well-known and studied faults in the world located in the USA it runs along the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates this fault is significant because it's a classic example of a transform fault where two tectonic plates slide past each other one of the most memorable events associated with the San Andreas fault is the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 comma this earthquake caused widespread destruction and loss of life leaving a lasting mark on California's history on the other side of the Pacific New Zealand's South Island is home to the Alpine fault another highly active seismic region this fault forms the boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates the Alpine fault has a long history of large earthquakes with the last major rupture occurring in 1717 estimated to have been at least a magnitude 7.7 what makes the Alpine fault particularly concerning is that it's overdue for another big earthquake meaning the potential for a significant event shortly is quite High seismic complexity of the Alpine fault recent stud Studies have revealed something surprising about the Alpine fault it's more complex than we once thought for a long time scientists believed that the fault only produced large full section earthquakes like the massive 1717 event however new evidence suggests that midsized earthquakes can occur in between these big ruptures particularly in areas around the towns of hokitika and Greymouth this discovery has challenged the assump assumption that only large catastrophic events happen along the Alpine fault the findings which come from seismic studies and trenching work indicate that parts of the fault may experience smaller but still significant earthquakes more frequently than expected the geological evidence supporting this idea comes from careful paleos cisic work by digging trenches near the to Roa River and the Staples site researchers like Robert Lang and his team have uncovered organic material that helped them date past earthquakes using radiocarbon dating they found evidence of quakes that occurred between 1084 and 1848 with a particularly interesting event happening sometime between 1813 and 1848 these findings suggest that a smaller rupture occurred after the last major earthquake indicating that the fault is capable of more more frequent activity San Andreas fault a parallel the San Andreas fault has a long and well-documented history of seismic activity making it one of the most studied faults in the world two of its most significant earthquakes serve as reminders of its destructive potential the 1857 Fort ton earthquake with a magnitude of around 7.9 comma caused extensive damage along a 350 km stretch of the The Fault in Southern California it was a wakeup call about how much energy this fault can release fast forward to 1989 and the Loma prata earthquake which had a magnitude of 6.9 comma struck near San Francisco reminding people of just how vulnerable the region still is this Quake though smaller than Fort tun caused significant damage and loss of life particularly in the Bay Area what makes these events stand out is that they occurred in populated regions which magnified their impact if you like this video so far don't forget to like And subscribe to the channel recent studies of the San Andreas fault show that Southern California in particular is due for another large earthquake geologists and seismologists have been carefully monitoring the fault's activity and the data points to the likelihood of a major Quake shortly the Southern segment near Los Angeles is of special concern as it hasn't seen a major rupture in a long time increasing the pressure buildup beneath the surface with millions of people living in the surrounding areas the potential for widespread destruction is immense comparing seismic Behavior the San Andreas fault and New Zealand's Alpine fault are quite similar in many ways but they also have their differences both are fat fast moving strik slip faults which means that the tectonic plates on either side are sliding past each other horizontally this kind of movement can build up a lot of stress over time leading to the massive earthquakes both faults are famous for since both faults are located near major tectonic boundaries San Andreas between the Pacific and North American plates and Alpine between the Pacific and Australian plates their behavior has some striking parallels both faults are capable of generating large destructive earthquakes and they do so on a somewhat regular basis however there are also some important differences the geology and Landscape around the faults are quite different which influences how the seismic activity plays out the San Andreas fault runs through some of the most densely populated areas in the United States including Los Angeles and San Francisco this makes it especially dangerous because any major earthquake along the fault has the potential to cause catastrophic damage in these cities the urban infrastructure and the sheer number of people in the region heighten the risks on the other hand the Alpine fault while no less dangerous in terms of its seismic power runs through a more rural part of New Zealand the south island is less densely populated and the towns near the fault like hokitika and Greymouth are relatively small impacts of recent discoveries the recent discoveries about the Alpine fault have completely changed the way we think about its seismic behavior for a long time the focus was on the potential for massive earthquakes along the fault like the one that occurred in 1717 but new evidence shows that the Alpine fault may be more active than we thought with the possibility of more frequent smaller earthquakes happening in between the big ones this is especially true in areas around hokitika and Greymouth where researchers have found signs of midsized Quakes that challenge the old assumption that only large ruptures occur with this new information it's clear that we need to update the seismic Hazard models for the region people in central and southern New Zealand May face stronger ground shaking more often than previously believed which has huge implications for how communities prepare for earthquakes this raises a major challenge how do we prepare for these more frequent but smaller Quakes while still bracing for the inevitable large ones it's not just about reinforcing buildings or setting up emergency protocols for the big one anymore now communities need to be ready for the possibility of experiencing strong shaking multiple times within a lifetime for residents and planners alike this new reality requires a shift in mindset and preparation strategies collaborative seismic research the collaboration between earthquake scientists in New Zealand and California is a great example of how sharing knowledge can lead to better preparedness in regions prone to seismic activity both the San Andreas and Alpine Faults Are fast-moving strik slip faults near major tectonic plate boundaries and studying them offers insights that can benefit both countries scientists have been working together to improve seismic Hazard models focusing on understanding fault segmentation and the triggers that lead to rupture this knowledge is crucial because it helps us predict where and when earthquakes might happen which is key to reducing the damage they cause one of the most important areas of research is Paleo seismology the study of ancient earthquakes through geological evidence by digging into the Earth and studying layers of sediment or fault lines scientists can uncover the history of earthquakes that occurred long before modern instruments existed this kind of research has already been invaluable in understanding the Alpine faults behavior and it has the potential to do the same for the San Andreas Fault by comparing past seismic activity researchers can get a clearer picture of the intervals between large earthquakes and the conditions that lead to them let us know your thoughts about this video in the comments and remember to like And subscribe for more intriguing discoveries like this see you in the next video