Fault lines..dormant for years. More like generations. Actually centuries.. actually over one million years.. And then they move.
When the initial reports of the quake occurred, Twitter was alive and well posting images of broken wine bottles and shattered kitchens. It did not immediately appear to be too much to handle—then more news started streaming of injuries and structural failure. Late in the day, KFBK in California reported this:
Reports from Vacaville described a shake enough to wake people from sleep, and one from South Sacramento, in the Pocket area described a slow steady rumble, that shook blinds in the home.
More than 170 injuries have been reported. A child was crushed by a toppling fireplace and there is no word yet of the child’s condition. Six orthopedic type injuries and several heart attacks have been reported. Three patients are in surgery.
The sudden movement of the fault caused damages and injuries–but even more so, it shattered the nerves of an area that did not get hit since baseball bats were swinging on live TV, judge as bridges started swinging, too..
This Sunday morning sidewalk shake wasn’t the dreaded San Andreas fault line. The earthquake that struck San Francisco this morning, the 3am witching hour shake that was centered in the Napa Valley of Southern California, was along the Franklin Fault–a fault line that was dormant for about 1.6 million years according to the USGS..
That’s a long time.. And a problem. In essence, not much is known about the Franklin Fault.. there are fears that this was a prelude to a bigger shake.. or that a major aftershock could still occur.
For a fault line to move in this significant of a way for the first time in 1.6 million years seems amazing to humans.. But that time frame is simply a drop in the universal bucket of time for the planet earth..
If more are to come, then brace yourself, Southern Cali: The early warning system may only give you about 10 seconds. Just enough time to duck and cover if you’re awake to get it..
Meanwhile.. things keep moving.
Like in Kansas. That’s right.. Kansas. And when you’re not in Kansas anymore, your feet may fail you more…
Sometimes big movements.. Like in Peru hours after the San Francisco treat.