Friday, December 14, 2012

California earthquake - M6.3



Maybe we can't call this a Callie earthquake, since it is so far offshore.  I am interested in California again, since the oldest son got accepted for a Stanford MBA!  May the Earthquake Gods hold their thumbs for 2 years.

This earthquake may have not been felt anywhere, since it is right in the weak oceanic crust, and shows an extension focal mechanism.  The Pacific Plate slowly drags everything upward, towards being buried in Alaska.  For some reason, the San Andreas is incredibly weak, and concentrates all the strain, but the major transform fault could have been at this point, where the continent meets the oceanic crust, but it seems tightly glued.  Nevertheless, it is a boundary of different stiffness, so the strains in the weaker oceanic crust must be high, and this earthquake is a result.


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