10.5 - Major Sesmic event on the way?

Any one remember that made for TV movie 10.5? I usually don't watch those types of things, but this one I watched.

Basically the premise of this movie is a huge earth changing earthquake in California. There were triggers/warning that this earthquake was about to happen. Numerous quake swarms at different points along the San Andres fault corridor were the signal that the "Big One" was about to occur.
From there it got silly, "Let's use nukes to fuse the fault together and stop the Big One"

What's got me thinking is the parralles between this movie and what we are noticing today. Their have been a number of earthquakes, and earthquake swarms. We are seeing volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens and in Mexico, all along the Eastern part of the "Ring of Fire".

So... Anyone think a 10.5 type scenario is possible? Anyone else think that the "Big One" is on the way? Are we going to see a rapid geographic change from all of this activity?

10.5 was heavily criticised by the geological community. I wouldn't put too much faith in any parallels between what you saw in the mini-series and real life. You may as well try to figure out how the Hitchhiker's Guide fits into the fabric of the cosmos.

I wasn't really citing the movie as scientific fact, more theoretical.

I was just thinking that the recent waves of increased sesmic activity could be pointing to something. I have a habit of trying to put the pieces together, little bits from here and little bits from there. Sometimes it's nothing. I can't recall another time in my life when so many events have occured so close together and along the same "general" area.

I know people have been predicting the "Big One" in CA for a long long time. It's almost become cliche.

Actually the largest earthquake predicted on the west coast is NOT in California. I'm going off of memory, but I remember a prediction list with Seattle as the highest at 9.9 or somthing.

its highly unlikely just because of the energy buildup needed for a 10.5 but, not impossible

[edit on 3-10-2004 by kessel]

I'm not really very intelligent when it comes to earthquakes/plate tectonics (high school earth science knowledge haha), but what about the New Madrid Fault line, i think it runs from north to south from Minnesota to Louisiana? If i recall, the biggest earthquake in US history occrured in missouri in the 18th or 19th century.

But please, someone correct me if i'm wrong...thanks.

Here's my big question, how much does the fault in Califorina have to do with the eruption that is going on?

It seems like a week or so after the 6.0, thats when the eruption started.

Is it just me?

I don't think it's just you.

I seem to remember another series of earthquakes, swarm if you will, prior to the 6.0 in CA last week. I thought it was in No Cal, but it may have been in Yellowstone. My memory on it is fuzzy, and I can't seem to find it on the web.

That's why I am wondering if this is pointing to something even bigger the the anticipated MSH eruption.

I was wondering about the possibility of things being connected too. Then I thought probably not, I mean what are the chances of us witnessing a series of volcanoes and major earthquakes going off on the US west coast all at the same time? I thought I heard of more than the usual earth tremors near Yellowstone national park near the super big volcano. Whenever something big really happened, would we really have that much warning?

All this talk does make me wonder if I should get earthquake insurance if I live hundreds of miles from all previous known earthquake centers. The closest thing to an earthquake I've felt is a train going by a 12 story building causing some swaying. Just how far away would a 10 magnitude earthquake do structural damage to buildings? Anyone know if an Earthquake in the New Madrid fault could cause damage as far away as South Carolina?