Helium leaking under Los Angeles. Big EQ may be bigger?

Great. Right when we thought things could not get any worse for us Angelenos...

UC Santa Barbara geologist Jim Boles has found evidence of helium leakage from Earth's mantle along a 30-mile stretch of the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone in the Los Angeles Basin. Using samples of casing gas from two dozen oil wells ranging from LA's Westside to Newport Beach in Orange County, Boles discovered that more than one-third of the sites -- some of the deepest ones -- show evidence of high levels of helium-3 (3He).

This new information points that the intensity of the Big One increases dramatically and the chances of it happening have increased dramatically. Living in LA got a lot more scarier.

www.sciencedaily.com...

a reply to: blackmetalmist

I guess that big news is that the Newport-Inglewood fault is much deeper than previously thought. This means that it could bring a stronger quake than previously thought probable for that populated area.
But there is no news that would forecast a quake any sooner than later.

California is living on borrowed time as far as a major earthquake goes.

a reply to: butcherguy

That fault has had so much activity lately. Albeit smaller ones, but very constant. AT least it's relieving some pressure as opposed to none. I wonder how much damage this would cause if it went off.. I do know that the fault that would be really catastrophic, especially to Downtown Los Angeles, would be the Whittier Narrows fault. That may take down all the buildings in DTLA. It runs right underneath it too.

Helium 3 is what the want to mine on the moon, can they not collect it from there?
www.explainingthefuture.com...

originally posted by: blackmetalmist
a reply to: butcherguy

That fault has had so much activity lately. Albeit smaller ones, but very constant. AT least it's relieving some pressure as opposed to none. I wonder how much damage this would cause if it went off.. I do know that the fault that would be really catastrophic, especially to Downtown Los Angeles, would be the Whittier Narrows fault. That may take down all the buildings in DTLA. It runs right underneath it too.

Your concern about the damage a big quake would do is well founded. It certainly would be a catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen in the US.
Let us hope that the stress is being relieved by the small quakes, but we just never know what is going on down there.

a reply to: jjkenobi

Very true. It's only a matter of time till any of these faults go off. The only thing to do is continue being prepared.

a reply to: jjkenobi

As is Wyoming with Yellowstone Caldera!

a reply to: jjkenobi

Of coarse we are living on borrowed time. I have lived here 8 years and that is all we hear about.

Last year though, I was back in Chicago, and a whole small town was wiped out by tornadoes, like 10 min from where I was staying. I forgot how scary storms can be.

Now that I think about it I have not felt a quake in about 6 months. The last time we had quakes by my house (Valencia) we had three back to back in a week.

originally posted by: butcherguy

originally posted by: blackmetalmist
a reply to: butcherguy

That fault has had so much activity lately. Albeit smaller ones, but very constant. AT least it's relieving some pressure as opposed to none. I wonder how much damage this would cause if it went off.. I do know that the fault that would be really catastrophic, especially to Downtown Los Angeles, would be the Whittier Narrows fault. That may take down all the buildings in DTLA. It runs right underneath it too.

Your concern about the damage a big quake would do is well founded. It certainly would be a catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen in the US.
Let us hope that the stress is being relieved by the small quakes, but we just never know what is going on down there.

It would definitely create some sort of tsunami if it were above 8. Not to mention the Long Beach area that has all those ports that bring in shipments every day. Definite economic impact as well.

Meh, L.A. will run out of water long before the big one takes it down... no worries.

a reply to: blackmetalmist

Boles discovered that more than one-third of the sites -- some of the deepest ones -- show evidence of high levels of helium-3 (3He).

The deepest oil wells hardly scratch the surface of the mantle, let alone indicate whatever is about to occur, down there. The gasses from oil wells are legion, helium being just one.

So okay, increased Helium, where is that an indication of impending EQ?

a reply to: blackmetalmist

It would definitely create some sort of tsunami if it were above 8.

Quakes need to occur under the ocean for that. I though we were talking about under LA?

a reply to: intrptr

Its California. The "impending EQ" threat is ALWAYS there.

a reply to: blackmetalmist

Its California. The "impending EQ" threat is ALWAYS there.

Fine. I was addressing the 'Tsunami threat' under LA. Tsunamis can occur in oceans in subduction fault zones.

LA is a strike slip fault zone on land, two different types of faults.

I'll let someone else explain that, gotta go.

a reply to: blackmetalmist

With that leakage i'd be worried more about los angeles sinking more than an earthquake.

Especially with everyone sucking all the water out of the ground because of the drought.

www.revealnews.org...

This one pic shows how bad it was back in 77. it should be even worse now.



The amount of damage that will happen to all the freeways, drainages, canals and other infrastructure will be huge.

Lived in LA for many years, I think most of the people are somewhat prepared for a big shaker, however the buildings and infrastructure are way behind. Saw that in the North-ridge quake. And nothing will help them if it's as large as some of the doom porn guys are predicting. It could solve the water issue though....lol The La basin would be a giant lake...

a reply to: grey580

Thank you for that info. I had no idea that it was a possibility. Hopefully this winter we end up getting the much needed rain.

Isnt there a nuclear power plant in the area to, or around the LA area. To me if this earthquake did happen, it would be perfect timing for JH.

a reply to: amsterdamn87

I think there is one but by San Diego. That would be further south. Although I think that it has been shut down for quite a while.