Full-Rip 9.0
Written by:
Paul Tipton
Most people living in southern Oregon are aware that earthquakes are somewhat of a concern locally, but if you haven’t lived here for at least 33 years, you’ve hardly felt a tremor, since the last quakes to really give the area a good shake occurred in 1993, centered in the mountains near Klamath Falls. Two people died, and at least 1,000 buildings were damaged, particularly brick buildings in downtown Klamath Falls. Personally, our family experienced it in a mobile home on Humbug Creek as a roar like a freight train coming at us and a strong shaking that moved things around, but there was no real damage. The quakes were actually a series of three: a 4.2 foreshock, then 5.9 and 6.0 main shocks.
But Sandi Doughton’s Full-Rip 9.0 tells the story behind the next Big One, an exponentially larger quake than the Klamath one, a quake that is likely to disrupt life for all of the Pacific coast states, from California through Oregon and Washington. This well-researched book brings together deep science and long-held knowledge of local tribes as well as Japanese records from over three centuries ago to conclude that our area is overdue for this mega-event, since the last one occurred around 9 pm on January 26, 1700, and the “normal” cycle for its occurrence is 246 years, making ours 80 years overdue! That this can be stated as fact is amazing to me and is due to the work of many people over many years—the fascinating story of this book.
Here in southern Oregon, we live on the edge of the North American Plate, which is being forced upward by the eastward subduction of another tectonic plate, the Juan de Fuca Plate, underneath us. At the same time, the Pacific Plate is pushing the Juan de Fuca Plate northward. The force of these movements, though only 40-45 mm per year, builds up until something gives way, creating earthquakes and the resulting volcanic eruptions, releasing the built-up energy. The magnitude of the Big One locally will likely be at least 8.2 according to geologists, which would cause two to three minutes of intense shaking, enough, according to local retired geologist Mark Prchal, to likely cause sewer pipes embedded in stream gravels in the valley towns to “float” to the surface due to liquefaction caused by the shaking. Not a pleasant thought, but a possible reality, since it happened in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2011, in an area with similar geology, with quakes measuring just 6.2 to 6.7.
uring just 6.2 to 6.7. I believe it’s important for all of us on the West Coast to be knowledgeable about and aware of what is definitely possible and probably likely to happen at some time. When it happens, there is the likelihood of major damage to roads, bridges, and power and communication infrastructure. Locally, the elevated freeway through Medford could possibly collapse. And though you won’t have the opportunity or warning to flee ahead of an earthquake, you can prepare to be able to shelter in place afterward with stored food and water for at least a few weeks.
Reading this book certainly won’t save you from an earthquake, but it will enlighten you about how it happens and what we know about the process. Hopefully it will stir you to think ahead about reacting to and preparing for an emergency that would cause as much disruption and damage as the Big One.
Paul W. Tipton
