"Everything west of I-5 will be toast" (San Francisco: buying, earthquakes)

[NickB1967]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

"California tumbles into the sea...."
Gotta listen to Steely Dan more often, folks.

Or the late Warren Zevon:

"And if California slides into the ocean,
Like the mystics and statistics say it will,
I predict this motel will be standing--until I pay my bill..."

[NickB1967]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

My oh, my, where to beginning cutting through anti-scientific, ill educated slag.

1) Plates don't sink (basic physics) as would a boat foundering.

2) An oceanic plate can subduct (it's convection driven) since they are basalt (again, basic physics).

3) There are a few instances of land that actually sits on oceanic plates. When such land reaches a subduction zone, the land is squeegeed off of the basalt plate and gets attached to the Continental Plate that the Oceanic Plate is subducting under.

4) While it is true that California west of the San Andreas system is on Oceanic Crust, that part of California will not sink. It will however become part of Alaska - tens of millions of years from now based on 2 in/yr plate motion.

5) Without plate tectonics Earth would be a big ocean, with no continents.

Indeed. If anything, the plate tectonics will push California coastal mountains up a teeny bit.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

My oh, my, where to beginning cutting through anti-scientific, ill educated slag.

1) Plates don't sink (basic physics) as would a boat foundering.

2) An oceanic plate can subduct (it's convection driven) since they are basalt (again, basic physics).

3) There are a few instances of land that actually sits on oceanic plates. When such land reaches a subduction zone, the land is squeegeed off of the basalt plate and gets attached to the Continental Plate that the Oceanic Plate is subducting under.

4) While it is true that California west of the San Andreas system is on Oceanic Crust, that part of California will not sink. It will however become part of Alaska - tens of millions of years from now based on 2 in/yr plate motion.

5) Without plate tectonics Earth would be a big ocean, with no continents.

Thank you. You beat me to it.

And #3 is the very reason for the existence of much of coastal California/Coast Ranges. They are called accreted terranes.

Its amazing how much people love to talk about hollywood movie catastrophe disaster scenarios,

but when you tell them about going out toward the actual San Andreas fault zone from Gorman (I-5) to Palmdale and Leona Valley to Wrightwood and the Cajon Pass to look at sag ponds and offset streams, folded rock layers along road cuts and hogback ridges at Mormon Rocks and Devils Punchbowl as evidence of plate movement to actually learn something about the San Andreas fault they look at you with facial expressions of confusion and disinterest. "Don't tell me about boring science and nature and outdoors I just want to know when the world will end."

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

Thank you. You beat me to it.

And #3 is the very reason for the existence of much of coastal California/Coast Ranges. They are called accreted terranes.

Its amazing how much people love to talk about hollywood movie catastrophe disaster scenarios,

but when you tell them about going out toward the actual San Andreas fault zone from Gorman (I-5) to Palmdale and Leona Valley to Wrightwood and the Cajon Pass to look at sag ponds and offset streams, folded rock layers along road cuts and hogback ridges at Mormon Rocks and Devils Punchbowl as evidence of plate movement to actually learn something about the San Andreas fault they look at you with facial expressions of confusion and disinterest. "Don't tell me about boring science and nature and outdoors I just want to know when the world will end."

Well? Are ya gonna tell us or not?

[LoriBee62]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

My oh, my, where to beginning cutting through anti-scientific, ill educated slag.

1) Plates don't sink (basic physics) as would a boat foundering.

2) An oceanic plate can subduct (it's convection driven) since they are basalt (again, basic physics).

3) There are a few instances of land that actually sits on oceanic plates. When such land reaches a subduction zone, the land is squeegeed off of the basalt plate and gets attached to the Continental Plate that the Oceanic Plate is subducting under.

4) While it is true that California west of the San Andreas system is on Oceanic Crust, that part of California will not sink. It will however become part of Alaska - tens of millions of years from now based on 2 in/yr plate motion.

5) Without plate tectonics Earth would be a big ocean, with no continents.

So...you're telling me that kid on the playground back when I was in 2nd grade was wrong?

No matter. You still can't triple-dog-dare me to stick my tongue to a frozen light pole.

[cb73]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

My oh, my, where to beginning cutting through anti-scientific, ill educated slag.

1) Plates don't sink (basic physics) as would a boat foundering.

2) An oceanic plate can subduct (it's convection driven) since they are basalt (again, basic physics).

3) There are a few instances of land that actually sits on oceanic plates. When such land reaches a subduction zone, the land is squeegeed off of the basalt plate and gets attached to the Continental Plate that the Oceanic Plate is subducting under.

4) While it is true that California west of the San Andreas system is on Oceanic Crust, that part of California will not sink. It will however become part of Alaska - tens of millions of years from now based on 2 in/yr plate motion.

5) Without plate tectonics Earth would be a big ocean, with no continents.

You mean Weather.com isn't the absolute end-all be-all scientific authority that it says it is? Hmmm....I wonder what that says for their constant believe-in-global-warming-or-you're-stupid articles.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by cb73

You mean Weather.com isn't the absolute end-all be-all scientific authority that it says it is? Hmmm....I wonder what that says for their constant believe-in-global-warming-or-you're-stupid articles.

Well, for some people it would say global climate change must also be wrong. You know, for the people who haven't a lick of sense nor grasp of logic to know that the two issues have no connection? Others would probably realize each topic requires its own evidentiary proofs. And that global climate change is well documented across the spectrum of knowledgable scientists.

Over and out.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by NickB1967

Indeed. If anything, the plate tectonics will push California coastal mountains up a teeny bit.

Classic example, Loma Prieta quake resulted in a measurable elevation increase for a number of places in Santa Cruz County. That one was a hybrid strike slip - thrust quake.

In The Southland it gets more radical. There are many thrust faults with vast amounts of movement over the past million years. Anyone ever wonder why they can find un-fossilized / barely fossilized clam shells up on top of a 600 foot hill, just north of the Ventura Fwy, between DT Ventura and Rincon?

[pecanku]

Ever watched the movie San Andreas? It's about as predictable as what happened in there.

[expatCA]

At worst a major quake would cause the hills and cliff areas near the coast to slide/collapse into the beach area, including the water of course. The State can't slide into the ocean, but areas close can slide a lot downhill as it were. Still would be a major disaster.