Utah is in store for a big earthquake.

I am going to explore the history of earthquakes in

the in the region of Utah, the impact this history has on predictions for our next
earthquake, and what Utahans can do to prepare for this disaster.

Utahs Ea th uake Past

Figure 1 https://www.ksl.com/?sid=22468526. Dunn, Scott "5 Biggest Earthquakes Ever to Happen in Utah | KSL.com."
KSL.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

Utah has had a history of large earthquakes. Figure 1 shows the aftermath of magnitude
6 earthquake in 1901 near the small town of Richfield. Thankfully the area had a very
small population and the damage was relatively minor as there just wasnt much around
to be damaged. Later in 1934, Hansel Valley would experience a 6.6 magnitude
earthquake, the most powerful quake to be witnessed in Utah. Again, the small
population and amount of structures yielded very small losses. However, this earthquake
caused some severe changes in the land.
Scott Dunn reports, [The ea th uake] affected 169 s ua e iles of la d fo o e. Seco d, at least
one aftershock measured 6 or greater in magnitude and some areas of land sank about 15 inches or
so. (https://www.ksl.com/?sid=22468526. Dunn, Scott"5 Biggest Earthquakes Ever to Happen in
Utah | KSL.com." KSL.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.)

Why Worry Now?

Figure 2 U of U Seismograph Stations. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

Utah has an earthquake somewhere in the state nearly once a day, so why should
we be so concerned about the Big One? According to the University of Utahs College
of Seismology, Utah is gearing up for the next big earthquake. The last earthquake of
this magnitude happened over 300 years ago along the Wasatch Fault line. Models

predict this fault goes off every 300 years putting us right on schedule for a major
shakeup. The figure above shows just how this fault line runs and predicts how large the
quakes would be in each area.

Just How Big is Big ?

Figure 3 Kristine Pankow, Walter Arabasz, Robert Carey, Gary Christenson, Josh Groeneveld, Brent Maxfield, Peter
Mcdonough, Barry Welliver, And T. Leslie Youd. Scenario for a Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake on the Wasatch FaultSalt Lake
City Segment (n.d.): n. pag. Web

Earthquakes are measured by magnitude using seismometers, an earthquake

from magnitude 0-3 is pretty manageable while size 4-6 will start to do some damage.
When an earthquake is of magnitude 7 or greater that is when they start to do some
serious damage over a great area. If an earthquake of that size were to hit the Salt Lake
valley, there would be massive amounts of damage, there would be a large short-term
economic loss, many households would be displaced leaving many people homeless

and looking for shelters and many of the essentials needed such as water and electricity
would be disrupted for days or weeks. This is why it is important to start preparing now
for the next large earthquake.

Why Should We Prepare?

Earthquakes have always seemed unpredictable. While scientists are getting better at recognizing
the sig s, the e still is t a exa t pi poi t whe Utahs ig ea th uake will happe . Nu e s f o
50 years to 100 hundred years have been thrown out. So why a e ow whe it just is t k ow
when this earthquake will happen? Because it preparedness has proven to save lives.

Figure 4 List of earthquakes in 2015,

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_earthquakes_in_2015&oldid=746783252 (last visited Oct. 29, 2016).

The figure (Figure 4) above shows the two highest magnitude earthquakes of the year 2015. The
difference in death tolls is staggering. Chile, despite having a more severe earthquake, has hardly any
deaths. Nicole Mortillaro ( Mortillaro, Nicole. "Why Chiles Earthquake Didnt Claim More
Lives." Global News. N.p., 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.) as well as many other reporters
and scientist, credits Chiles relatively mild losses to their intense devotion to preparedness. Chile
is said to have stricter earthquake building codes than even California and Japan. The culture
and government put a high level of importance on preparedness and their hard work paid off. So
why should Utah prepare? Preparedness saves lives and minimizes loss.

How Do We Prepare?

Figure 5 Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Semiology (http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/)

As you can see in the figure above (Figure 5) some of the best ways to prepare
for a future earthquake are to plan by knowing what kind of earthquake risks are of
concern in your area, and if you are building make sure to follow the right design and
engineering practices for earthquake prevention. You should also make sure that all
furniture and decorations are secured correctly and that nothing would have a chance of
falling and hurting someone during an earthquake. Another important step in preparation

is to know where all of your emergency items and kits are and if you dont have any
necessary items to make sure to acquire them. Last of all make sure to regularly practice
a correct earthquake drill to make sure everyone knows what to do in case of an
earthquake.

Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Utah needs to take this impending earthquake seriously. There is strong
and solid evidence that the Big One is not a matter of if, but of when. Even if this
earthquake doesnt happen for another hundred years, Utah owes it to the generations to
follow to prepare. There are great organizations like Shake It Out that have simple and
effective plans for mitigating the potential damages and losses Utah will suffer. Progress
is already being made with better building regulations and resources for residents to
retrofit their homes for potential earthquakes. I firmly believe if we keep on this path of
preparation, we can prevent some of the immense devastation that is currently predicted.