Prepared for Quakes
With earthquakes increasing in the Reno area, officials anticipate, discuss potential disasters
At a town hall meeting in the Jot Travis Building last week, more than 100 people gathered to listen to experts talk about the recent temblors in Mogul, Nev., and West Reno.
Made up of students, faculty, administrators and community members, the audience wanted to know whether stronger earthquakes were possible and what it would mean for the area.
Nevada is one of the most seismologically active states in the country. While numbers have been steadily growing since February, 4.1 and 4.2 magnitude earthquakes on April 24 set off a sequence of about 20 earthquakes a day with magnitudes of 1.0 or greater, according to a report from the Nevada Seismological Laboratory. Earthquakes with magnitudes of 2.0 or greater have happened at a steady rate of one or two a day.
But despite the increases, experts said they don’t anticipate earthquakes with larger magnitudes, believing the 4.7 magnitude earthquake on April 25 would most likely be the strongest.
At the same time, John Anderson of the Nevada Seismological Lab, along with other experts from the lab and the geology department, said earthquakes can’t be predicted.
“We track what happens, but the most we can tell people is that they should be prepared,” Anderson said.
Officials said that the university is prepared to deal if larger temblors occur.
“Students shouldn’t worry about these small earthquakes or buildings coming down,” said Edward Atwell, the university’s emergency management coordinator.
While most campus buildings have steel foundations, the university identified 10 buildings as “unreinforced masonry buildings,” meaning there is no steel in the buildings’ walls, said Stephen Mischissin, assistant director of facilities services. Those buildings are Clark Administration, Thompson Hall, Jones Center, Facilities Services Building, Virginia Street Gym, Palmer Engineering, Mackay Science, Lincoln Hall, Morrill Hall and Manzanita Hall.
All of the buildings listed are at least 60 years old.
Mischissin pointed out that the buildings have made it through larger earthquakes in the past and should be able to sustain future damage.
“The biggest thing people should be worrying about is items falling from above,” he said.
The university plans to submit capital requests to redo the foundations of Lincoln and Manzanita halls to the state legislature in 2009, Mischissin said. They originally asked for money last year, but the requests were voted down.
Rod Aeschlimann, Residential Life director, said officials are in the process of examining the residence halls to make sure the buildings are safe for students to live in.
“Even with students moving out, we want to make sure that everything is stable and safe,” Aeshlimann said.
The university is also planning on having an earthquake drill in June, Atwell said. The drill, an annual event that prepares the university to deal with various disaster situations, will show faculty, administration and other participants what a 7.2 magnitude earthquake would do to the university and surrounding area.
- What’s causing the earthquakes The earthquakes are being caused by the shifting of tectonic plates underneath the earth’s surface. Nevada sits on two separate plates, and when those plates move and shift against each other, they create earthquakes.
- What you should do during an earthquake Drop, cover and hold under a table, desk, bed or against a wall. Try to stay clear of bookcases, shelves, file cabinets and other furniture that may slide or topple. Also stay away from glass.
- How to prepare for an earthquake Take down any heavy objects that may be hung up or placed on a shelf, such as TVs or books. Also prepare a first aid kit because first responders will head to serious situations first during an earthquake. People also should have two to three days’ worth of food in case they become trapped.
Atwell said the university will work with the cities of Reno, Sparks, Washoe County and surrounding counties to act out the scenario. They plan on testing the emergency communications systems, which include sending voicemails to all the phones on campus and testing out the Washoe County Regional Communications System, which allows university people to reach first responders from REMSA and the Reno hospitals.
Fault Lines
Faults are not always easy to detect — some sit underneath the surface while others come in obvious forms, such as mountains or discolored scarring lines in the dirt. Faults are caused by breaks in the Earth’s crust that slip past each other in different directions - this movement often results in an earthquake. Historically, an earthquake’s magnitude is determined by the size of the fault: 200-mile long faults can cause magnitude 9.0 quakes while a 5 to 10-mile long fault may only be capable of causing a 6.0.
Dip-Slip Fault
An earthquake is caused when one side of the fault falls abruptly below the other side. Over time these faults usually result in a valley while the side of the fault that stayed in place turns into a highland or a mountain.Strike-Slip Fault
This fault is less common, though still important, because western Nevada’s earthquakes are generally caused by these kinds of faults. One side of the fault will stay stationary while stress builds up from the force of the other until eventually the fault breaks, distorting the land and causing an earthquake.
Nevada is made up mostly of these faults, which explains why the state is full of mountains and valleys.
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on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 2:26 am and is filed under News, News CP, Student Life.
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