Arcata, Ca., (KIEM)- Just after seven Wednesday morning, a small 3.0 magnitude earthquake was detected in Humboldt County. The event was nearly negligible, and not directly related to the seven point one magnitude earthquake that struck Mexico City Tuesday, killing more than 200 people.
While the Humboldt County quake (located about 23 miles outside of Fortuna) is not an aftershock or result of the Mexico City event, the two seismic incidents are scientifically similar.
“These earthquakes [in Mexico] weren’t on the major fault that produces the really large earthquakes, they were actually within the oceanic plate.” Dr. Mark Hemphill-Haley explains. He’s the chair of Humboldt State University’s Geology Department. “We have those quite often here. The vast majority of the seismicity that we experience here in Humboldt County, is due to the oceanic plate here breaking up. That’s what happened there.”
Image credit: HSU Geology, Seismograph picking up P-waves from earthquake in Mexico City.
A major difference the professor was quick to note lies not just in the size of the two geological incidents, but in the overall preparedness of the areas they hit.
Dr. Hemphill-Haley explains that in Mexico most buildings are brick and mortar, and the metropolitan area offers lots of potential debris and rubble. Here, building codes are much more demanding. That means if a seven-point-one magnitude earthquake struck the North Coast, we may see less destruction.
Still, the tragedy surrounding the Mexico City disaster is a sharp warning, and a reminder that we are ‘Living On Shaky Ground.’
That’s the title of a publication effort-ed by educators in Humboldt County. The book, and matching online reference is a great way to learn about the North Coast’s proclivity for Geological Events, and best practices for staying safe when they occur.
“Technology is great, if you have power,” Linda Nelist says. She’s an educator with CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Coalition in Humboldt County. She stresses the importance of knowing “the basics.” Mantras like “Drop! Cover! Hold on!” and having a handy “disaster survival” kit can be key.
“We can learn a lot about resilience [from Mexico],” Hemphill says. In all of the footage he’s seen from Mexico, he says he’s seen an awful lot of people helping one another. Being ready to give, ready to help our neighbors, and ready to protect ourselves, is sometimes the best thing we can do.
Link to “Living On Shaky Ground” Online: http://www2.humboldt.edu/shakyground/
