Earthquake Swarm in California Prompts Preparedness Reminders
Northern California is experiencing a heightened period of seismic activity, with a cluster of earthquakes occurring over the past week, including a 4.1 magnitude quake near Templeton that triggered resident alerts. while experts say the recent swarm is within the normal range of earthquake occurrences for the state, it serves as a crucial reminder for Californians to review and update their emergency preparedness plans.
The current activity isn’t necessarily indicative of a larger earthquake on the horizon,according to seismologists. “The problem is, of things you might expect to happen before a big earthquake, we can’t distinguish that from the many, many times that has happened without a big earthquake,” explained seismologist Emily Brodsky to SFGATE. “So what do you do with that?” Similar earthquake swarms are common in areas like the Mendocino Triple Junction in California and regions of Chile.
This weekS increased activity is not unusual given the state’s location along major fault lines. “Earthquakes are not uniformly spaced out in space and time, so this is all within the normal variation for earthquakes,” stated seismologist Susan Minson. Despite this, experts are using the opportunity to encourage residents to prepare.
“Little earthquakes are good reminders of just the overall reality of earthquakes in California,” said Professor roland Burgmann. “It’s a good reminder to check on your own preparedness. Do you have a preparedness kit? do you have a plan for what you do after an earthquake? Do you have enough water?”
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Department of Public Health offer resources for building earthquake emergency kits and developing comprehensive emergency plans. Residents can also benefit from signing up for shakealert, a warning system that provides advance notice of earthquakes.
Resources:
* USGS Earthquake Emergency Kit: https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-emergency-supplies-do-i-need-earthquake
* California Department of Public Health Emergency Preparedness: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/EPO/Pages/prepareanemergencysupplykit.aspx
* ShakeAlert: https://www.shakealert.org/
