An earthquake would be our “Katrina” :: The Fallbrook Village News

Quoted from http://www.thevillagenews.com/story/45720/:

An earthquake would be our “Katrina” :: The Fallbrook Village News

An earthquake would be our “Katrina”

Thursday, February 25th, 2010.
Issue 08, Volume 14.

We are aware of the devastation associated with a mega mine like Liberty quarry. One subject, however, has been glossed over; earthquakes.

The Elsinore fault runs along the hills next to the proposed quarry site. Scientists say, "If you are not sure it will not cause harm, don’t do it."

Geologists and seismologists agree; earthquakes are induced in five major ways. Three ways are, "fluid extraction from the earth, mining or quarrying." ("New Dawn" magazine)

Studies by Dr. Klose of Columbia University show excavating the earth’s crust to a depth of over 1000 feet may cause earthquake faults to become active.

Tom Rockwell, SDSU geologist and expert on the Elsinore fault zone, stated, "Scientists believe the Elsinore could trigger a quake big as 7.5."

Scientists with Southern California Earthquake Center say, "There is an 11 percent chance over the next 30 years this fault will trigger an earthquake paralleling Northridge.

Mary Moreland, Riverside County Emergency Services Director, said, "Disaster officials fear a major quake. An earthquake would be our ‘Katrina.’"

Lucy Jones, lead Southern California Scientist for U.S. Geology Survey, Pasadena, said, "The smaller Elsinore fault poses a threat locally in Southwest Riverside County. The Elsinore sits under Temecula and Murrieta.

With some of these perceived natural occurrences (exception being quarries) could it be that we, as humans, are not managing the earth properly and, when earthquakes occur, we have forgotten about "cause and effect?"

"We learn geology the morning after the earthquake." (Emerson)

Jerri Arganda

SDSU - Department of Geological Sciences Alumni Field Trip 2010

24th. ANNUAL SDSU GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP LANDSLIDES IN THE VICINITY OF CLARK LAKE & COYOTE MOUNTAIN, ANZA BORREGO STATE PARK MARCH 26TH, 27TH & 28TH, 2010 The 24th Annual SDSU Geology Alumni Field Trip/Campout will be in Anza Borrego State Park this year. Nissa Morton, a graduate student at SDSU, working for Dr.Tom Rockwell on the San Jacinto Fault and Mike Hart, San Diego's Planetary/Local Landslide Expert, will be leading this year's trip. Clark Lake was not accessible except by kayak as of February 1st, 2010 so itinerary may vary depending on future storm events. Seismic activity serves as a major trigger for land-sliding in areas of steep topography. Northeast of Borrego Springs, large, deep-seated landslides have occurred in granitic and metamorphic rock on Coyote Mountain and along the southwestern side of the Santa Rosa Mountains. This area is located within a complex zone of conjugate strike-slip faulting that is locally defined by activity on the Coyote Creek, Coyote Mountain, and Clark faults along with several northeast-striking cross faults. The field trip will examine the geomorphic and structural features of these landslides and consider the failure mechanisms needed to produce them. The Field Trip will start Saturday Morning March 27th, 2010 at 10:00 AM on top of the Visitors Center at the Anza Borrego State Park Headquarters. Look for the flagpole, just past the flagpole coming from the parking lot there is a path to your right that leads you on top of the visitor's center. We will do some arm-waving there and then caravan/carpool out to the base of Coyote Mountain and hike up to examine the morphology of the landslides so plan on packing a lunch. Sunday, if the lake level is low enough to allow vehicles to pass (4-Wheel Drive recommended for this part of trip), we will go up towards Rockhouse Canyon to look at more landslides and possibly some petroglyphs. If the lake level is still high and you have not been to the visitors center I think you will enjoy just hanging around there for a couple of hours and maybe taking your time driving home to look for wildflowers. We will be camping at the main Borrego Palm Canyon Campground just west of the town of Borrego Springs. The Alumni Group will have one Group site reserved for Friday, Saturday and Sunday night and one additional site for Saturday Night. I cannot guarantee additional spaces nearby so you may have to occupy and pay for individual sites near the Group Camp Ground if we have a large crowd. There are restrooms and solar showers close to the Group Site but you need quarters for the showers so plan ahead! Please observe all Park Rules Regulations which are posted at each site. Each site has several tables, BBQ and fire ring for burning wood (not provided so bring your own). Highs and lows in late March can be in the mid 80's down to the high 40's so be prepared. DIRECTIONS: Hopefully you can find your way to Borrego Springs!? >From the traffic circle just go west and watch for signs to main campground or visitor center depending on where you are headed. COMMUNICATIONS: There appears to be phone service in much of the campground but you may need to walk around a bit to find it. If you have a Family Radio Service (FRS) radio we will be monitoring channel 11with no Private Tones programmed in them. The Palomar Amateur Radio Repeater, 147.030 + (103.7 pl) and 2 Meter simplex 146.520 will also be monitored. SUPPLIES/SERVICES/FUEL: All are available in Borrego Springs 7 days a week during normal business hours as per John Petersen an SDSU Alumni who now is the proud owner of his “Second Home” in Borrego Springs. If any of our Alumni are interested in becoming involved with any of our Alumni Activities, like to assist with future trips or has a special place in mind that would be good for a future Alumni Field Trip please let me know. If you have any questions regarding this trip email or call me. Joe Corones, Alumni Field Trip Chairman. jcorones@gmail.com , Home (858)-484-3582, Cell (858)-603-5545.

SDSU - Department of Geological Sciences -Seminar - Anthony J. Park

Quoted from http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/seminars/spring10/02_10_10.html:

SDSU - Department of Geological Sciences -Seminar - Anthony J. Park

Patterned mineral deposits on Earth and Mars Anthony J. Park Sienna Geodynamics and Consulting, Inc. Computational Science Research Center (CSRC), San Diego State University Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Well-exposed Jurassic Navajo Sandstone iron oxide concretions preserve important diagenetic records of groundwater flow and water–rock interactions. Field relationships, precipitation patterns, and geometries of the Navajo concretions provide the basis for input parameters in numerical computer simulations and laboratory chemical bench tests. Although field geometries are very difficult to replicate, numerical simulations and laboratory experiments examine end results such as nucleation and growth of iron oxide concretions, produced from known input parameters. Three numerical simulations show the development of periodic self-organized nucleation centers through Liesegang-type double-diffusion of iron and oxygen. This numerical model simulates a scenario where oxygen is provided by shallow fresh water and iron is sourced from deeper reduced formation water. Concretions form in the region where the two waters interact with each other. Model sensitivities show that advection of water is an important mechanism for supplying the iron, and that acidic conditions in the iron-charged water can cause iron to stay in solution longer to produce nucleation centers that are farther from the input source. Laboratory bench tests with reactions of FeSO4 or Fe(NO3)3 with KOH show how the precipitation of hydrated iron sulfates or iron-hydroxides may form rinds around an initial, spherical source of iron (i.e. nucleation center). These rinds may show inward growth depending on the concentration of the iron source in relation to the surrounding fluid. A number of complex factors such as concentration and flux, time, and multiple events can create banded patterns during rind growth. Comparisons of the terrestrial examples with numerical and laboratory models have strong implications for understanding similar hematite concretions on Mars.