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AIM: to have and learn short, manageable revision notes for this case study.

CASE STUDY -
SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE

When Cause Result Why so little Damage?

1. WHEN?
• 17 October, 1989 5:05pm in the San Francisco Bay area

• 6.9 on the Richter scale

• lasted 15 seconds - no warning

2. CAUSE (WHY DID IT HAPPEN?)

• • The area is located on the famous San Andreas Fault line where the
N.American and Pacific plate boundary meet

• • This is a transform (conservative) plate boundary so the plates are rubbing


past one another

• • The Pacific plate moves north an average of 3.7 cm per year

• • Before the earthquake the plates "stuck" together building up huge amounts
of friction that had to be released

• • The people of San Francisco are waiting for the "Big One" they know that
they are due an enormous quake!
3. RESULT

• • 67 dead

• • 6000 homes damaged/destroyed

• • 2000 people made homeless

• • office blocks swayed 3m, some collapsed

• • The two tier Nemitz highway bridge collapsed

• • the older Bay area suffered the most damage

• • fire and gas explosions occurred immediately


after the quake

• • Section of the Bay Bridge collapsed (upper deck


onto lower deck)

4. WHY WAS THERE SO LITTLE DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE?

• • This was not the "Big One" that the San Francisco people were afraid of – it
was quite a bit smaller than it could have been!

• • Because they expect quakes and it is a MEDC there are fully equipped and
trained emergency services

• • Again due to anticipation of the event they have a good disaster plan in
place

• • On 18 April each year a full earthquake practice drill is rehearsed in


readiness for the real event

• • Gas and electricity cables are made to be flexible so they don’t rupture
during a quake
• • Automatic shut down of most gases and electricity supplies in the event of a
quake

• • Building specially designed – steel and concrete absorb shock waves better
than brick, mud, wood

• • Candlestick basketball stadium - good modern design absorbed shock


waves

• • Heavy office equipment fastened to floor/walls just in case

To give you a ‘sense of place’ this


map shows you were San
Fransisco is. Look carefully at the
map – where are we? Also look at
the dots as they show where
earthquakes and volcanoes occur.

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