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Can We Save California?

Never mind the brush fires or auto pollution. For Californians, those hazards are nothing next to the Big One — a catastrophic earthquake seismologists predict will hit the Golden State in the next 30 years. But can anything be done about it? Scientists are now studying ways to relieve pressure building along the San Andreas fault, perhaps by pumping water between the giant tectonic plates, thus lubricating the fault and causing a series of smaller quakes.

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  • quiz
    According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), what is the probability of a deadly earthquake—at least 6.7 on the Richter scale—striking the San Francisco Bay area by 2030?

    a) 60%
    b) 70%
    c) 80%
    d) 90%
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    Do you believe Northern California will be leveled by a catastrophic earthquake in the next 50 years?
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    web resources
    San Andreas Scientific Drilling Project
    Monitors a creeping and seismically active fault zone at depth

    EarthScope
    Brings real-time data to your desktop to help you better understand earthquakes and fault systems

    Plate Boundary Observatory
    A topographic map of the western U.S., where the Pacific/North American plate boundary zone reaches its greatest width