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California officials have mapped a new section of seismic fault northeast of Los Angeles that could cause major damage to the downtown area.
Understanding Fault Lines: Legal Ramifications In California
The Raymond Fault has long been known as a potentially dangerous fault in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, and it caused the 1988 Pasadena 4.9 earthquake, said Tim Dawson, a senior engineering geologist with the California Geological Survey.
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But this is a big mistake. The 1988 earthquake threw seismologist Lucy Jones out of bed. “The waves were coming at me,” Jones recalled recently. “It was the worst earthquake hit.”
It is also capable of causing very strong earthquakes. A 7-magnitude earthquake may occur. The Raymond fault northeast of Los Angeles from the unincorporated area of South Pasadena, Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Monrovia, and East Pasadena counties. In parts, the fault runs under parts of Eagle Rock, York and Huntington avenues and part of the 110 freeway in South Pasadena.
The Raymond Fault runs from Glassell Park, under Highway 2 and Eagle Rock Boulevard, and parts of it runs parallel to York Boulevard through Highland Park. (California Geological Survey)
Seismic faults are large cracks in the Earth’s surface; Boundary line between shifting tectonic plates. When a large earthquake hits a fault like Raymond, the plates suddenly move in opposite directions along the fault’s path.
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The Raymond fault has long been known to experts, and most of the fault was mapped in the state in the 1970s. On June 15, the California Geological Survey released an updated map of the Raymond Fault.
The most significant changes are the westward extension of the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Highland Park faults in the Raymond fault zone. The Highland Park fault zone also advanced southward.
Anyone constructing a new residential building in a post-earthquake fault zone should ensure that they are building directly on the fault.
The Raymond Fault runs through Highland Park in South Pasadena, where Highway 110 passes under Fair Oaks Avenue (California Geological Survey).
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Strong earthquakes on the Raymond Fault can cause catastrophic damage locally. It’s also likely to explode almost at the same time as Hollywood’s blunders. “It’s the city’s fault,” Dawson said. “This is an active fault. There are many buildings near the fault.”
Ronald Cloutier After the 1988 5.0 magnitude earthquake in South Pasadena, Javier Surrano cleans glass in the specialty maintenance offices. (Bill Hormel/United Press International)
Los Angeles has taken measures to reduce the risk of a major earthquake; In 1981, the municipality issued an order to renovate and demolish brick buildings, but in 2015, a new law was passed, requiring the renovation of flimsy wooden housing and concrete buildings.
South Pasadena recently decided to renovate its brick buildings and discovered that nearly half of the city’s 60 brick buildings, including shops, restaurants, apartments and churches, have not been rebuilt. Last year, the City Council demanded the repair of the remaining elements and gave the owners 2.5 years after receiving a new order.
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And one problem: Outside of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and West Hollywood, most cities in Los Angeles County don’t mandate renovations to modest single-story wood apartment buildings that double as parking lots and garages. Such sensitive accommodation is common in fault-topped areas such as South Pasadena and near fault areas such as Alhambra.
Raymond’s bug extends to the Lacey Park and Huntington Library campuses in San Marino. (California Geological Survey)
Evidence of rifting has been clear to geologists for decades. Dawson said the lake, which was once in what is now Lacey Park in San Marino, was created by cracks caused by land subsidence caused by previous earthquakes.
Past earthquakes created the hill, which is now part of the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Arcadia, and offers a stunning view of the Huntington Library, a historic property with a library, art collection and gardens. Railroad magnate Henry Huntington.
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“The Huntington Library sits atop the Raymond Fault. When the Huntingtons moved there, they moved there because it had a great view — the view was driven by guilt,” Dawson said. “After many earthquakes, this hill was climbed.”
Compared to the fastest growing fault in the state, the Raymond fault is slow moving. Dawson said the Raymond fault is moving at about one-tenth the speed of the San Andreas fault.
That means the Raymond Fault doesn’t rupture as often as the San Andreas, north of Los Angeles, which is believed to experience a major earthquake once every 100 years on average. This part of the fault was last hit by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in 1857.
Scientists estimate that the last earthquake of magnitude 6 or greater occurred on the Raymond Fault between 1,000 and 2,000 years ago. They believe that such an event happens on average every few thousand years.
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But earthquakes don’t happen like clockwork, and scientists can’t say for sure when the Raymond fault will strike again.
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Rong-Gong Lin II is a San Francisco-based metro reporter specializing in national security coverage related to earthquakes and the Covid-19 pandemic. A Bay Area native, he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and joined the Los Angeles Times in 2004. San Diego County fault lines are shown on the September 23, 2021 California Fault Activity Map.
A map of earthquake-prone zones released Thursday is designed to prevent new construction in San Diego, which is aimed at preventing earthquake damage that could tear down the surface.
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These regulations, developed by the California Geological Survey, detail the Ehlquist-Priolo earthquake fault zone and require local authorities to conduct site-specific geological and engineering studies for proposed developments to identify and avoid this hazard. Generally, new human habitable structures should be located within 50 feet of an active fault surface.
“Surface faults are the easiest to avoid in earthquakes because you can see evidence of where they happened,” said Steve Bolen, California state geologist and head of CGS. “A surface fault fault means that one side of the fault moves vertically or horizontally relative to the other side. Fracture-induced movement can damage buildings and infrastructure.”
Two updated seismic fault zones have been mapped on the Rose Canyon fault, which comes off the coast of Coronado Island, crosses the San Diego belt to the northwest, and returns to the coast near La Jolla. Each of these maps covers an area of approximately 60 square miles.
In 1971, the Elquist-Priolo Act was enacted after the 6.6 magnitude San Fernando earthquake damaged many buildings. Not every strong earthquake causes a surface fault to rupture. Example: The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was devastating but did not break the surface. However, the 1992 Landers earthquake in San Bernardino County created a 50-mile-long surface fault with displacement ranging from one inch to 20 feet.
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“California has had about 30 earthquakes since the earthquake fault zone map was first published in 1974,” Bolen said. “In most areas, surface displacement is relatively low. “However, seven earthquakes moved more than a foot, which was enough to crack the building’s foundation, which could have caused a collapse.”
If construction is planned in a disturbed area, a licensed California geologist must evaluate the parcel to be built on and submit a report to the local building permit agency. If a fault is detected and deemed active, the hazard will be minimized by ensuring that there are no structures in the path of the fault.
The zones will not affect existing development unless extensive additions or redevelopment are proposed. Real estate transactions must disclose that the property is located in the area.
Ultimately, the local lead agency, not CGS, has the final say on whether to issue building permits in a zoning district and how many and how many such permits are required.
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The new map was completed based on consultation with local government bodies, the public, and the State Mining and Geological Council.
Citizens who want to check whether their property is located on the CGS Alquist-Priolo earthquake fault zone or earthquake hazard zone can enter their address into CGS’s EQZapp. There are currently 558 maps of the Elquist-Priolo fault zone
