FIGURE 2.12 . Comparison between major, plate-bounding active strike-slip
faults in California (San Andreas Fault) and Turkey (North Anatolian Fault)
showing similarities in length, slip rate, and general geometry of the fault zones.
Both faults have a history of frequent earthquakes of magnitude 7 and higher,
with irregular time intervals of decades to centuries between major events. The
westward progression of earthquake epicenters in northern Turkey, beginning in
1939 and culminating in the Izmet earthquake of 1999, is cause for concern
because the city of Istanbul (population 15 million) lies only 100 km to the west
of the Izmet epicenter. Major devastation and loss of life are to be expected if
earthquake activity migrates westward into this urban area. It is not known if
similar patterns in earthquake migration might occur along the San Andreas
Fault, but this question could be addressed through paleoseismological studies
of San Andreas earthquakes over the last 10,000 years. SOURCE: R. Stein, U.S.
Geological Survey.
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faults in California (San Andreas Fault) and Turkey (North Anatolian Fault)
showing similarities in length, slip rate, and general geometry of the fault zones.
Both faults have a history of frequent earthquakes of magnitude 7 and higher,
with irregular time intervals of decades to centuries between major events. The
westward progression of earthquake epicenters in northern Turkey, beginning in
1939 and culminating in the Izmet earthquake of 1999, is cause for concern
because the city of Istanbul (population 15 million) lies only 100 km to the west
of the Izmet epicenter. Major devastation and loss of life are to be expected if
earthquake activity migrates westward into this urban area. It is not known if
similar patterns in earthquake migration might occur along the San Andreas
Fault, but this question could be addressed through paleoseismological studies
of San Andreas earthquakes over the last 10,000 years. SOURCE: R. Stein, U.S.
Geological Survey.
SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES
65
About this PDF file: This new digital representation of the
original work has been recomposed from XML files created
from the original paper book, not from the original
typesetting files. Page breaks are true to the original; line lengths,
word breaks, heading styles, and other typesetting-specific
formatting, however, cannot be retained,
and some typographic errors may have been accidentally inserted.
Please use the print version of this publication as the authoritative
version for attribution.