In a time of extraordinary change, the one element that’s doing the most rockin’ and rollin’ is the earth itself. Over recent days, the California earthquakes have generated somber-toned headlines. On Thursday, a strong quake shattered the peaceful, low-populated Ridgecrest area, roughly 150 miles away from Los Angeles.
But the following Friday, another quake, this time hitting 7.1 on the Richter scale, really caught people’s attention. The Golden State has long feared the arrival of the “Big One,” an event so paradigm-shattering that it could change the geological makeup of the entire southern region.
Indeed, the concept is so familiar that Hollywood has produced several summer flicks about it. Of course, these are almost always campy affairs, and that may have lulled residents into a sense of complacency. But these consecutive California earthquakes have finally woken many from their slumber. They realize that no matter how strong their preparations, nothing beats Mother Nature.
California Earthquakes a Possible Harbinger
One of the biggest concerns for seismologists is the San Andreas Faultline. The regions that the Faultline impacts hasn’t seen a major earthquake for over two decades. Similar to what analysts say about this current bull market, we’re due for a “correction.”
And these series of California earthquakes suggest that the Big One could be right around the corner. That’s because earthquakes don’t always occur in a vacuum. Most people are familiar with aftershocks. But historical analysis indicates the existence of “foreshocks,” or geological harbingers of a major earthquake.
According to The New York Times, a foreshock occurred before the 1960 Chile earthquake, which was a 9.5-magnitude event. And another foreshock shook Japan prior to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.
Thus, only a fool would sleep easy regarding these California earthquakes. We have a serious situation that could exacerbate due to a lack of preparedness. Unfortunately, the California government is comprised largely of morons.
Woefully Unprepared for the Big One
Back in 2004, the Los Angeles Times wrote that California is still unprepared for the Big One. And that’s not surprising: these guys (and gals and the gender-fluid) are busy playing identity politics rather than getting stuff done.
While the state has retrofitted several infrastructures, the fact remains that a huge quake could find the improvements lacking. That’s problematic for many reasons, including obviously the inevitable humanitarian crisis. But it also means that should a massive tumbler hit, the U.S. could experience a catastrophic economic loss.
Again, this points to the idea that we shouldn’t ignore the California earthquakes. It’s not just a crisis for the immediate sense. If (when) it hits, the unprepared state could cause an economic ripple effect throughout the nation.