What would happen if the "Hammer" fell?

Have emergency services prepared for this potential tectonic event? If so, what do they call it?  And if they haven't . . . why not? It is surprising that an idea that is obvious on first examination could get so little academic interest.  Evidence of its existence will be in rock falls and debris scattering from westward jolts. If the jolts are high magnitude, catastrophic movements the rock falls from cliff faces will be larger and spread over a greater distance. All of this can be observed from well conceived field trips by geologists.  Nightmare in the West Unlike the north/south sliding of the San Andreas Fault, sudden westward movement of the "Hammer"would stimulate fault slippage throughout the Southwestern US and Northern Mexico, destroying the bridges and dams along the fault lines. Large western US cities affected would include San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Salt Lake, Denver, Albuquerque and El Paso. Sand Diego would be swept by tidal waves after the force of seismic waves damages roads and bridges needed to evacuate the population from harms way. Los Angeles is a special case since the basin is underlain by loose material scraped from the Pacific floor during the continents westward migration. Shock waves accompanied by sharp physical movement could trigger a deep settling and even "liquefaction" of this material. How much could depend on the space created by the removal of water and oil from the regions underlying strata. San Francisco is not too far away for damage from both seismic and tidal forces, but their long history of encounters will limit their damage. Las Vegas can expect major tectonic movement and seismic damage. Their electric and water will be lost.  Land travel will not lead anywhere that they would want to go. Reliance on air travel will enable new supplies delivery and disaster assistance to get in. Salt Lake and Denver are likely to get seismic damage but remain operational and will be bases for disaster relief organizations. Albuquerque sits in the Rio Grande Rift and would experience volcanism and earthquakes. El Paso sits on the fault line where it moves very slightly but that may be enough to do significant damage. Services from the rest of Texas should keep it working well. It is likely to be the major source of supplies for Phoenix and the rest of Arizona since Interstate Ten should be quickly repaired and passable. Although Phoenix does not sit on the fault line, it would be isolated from the rest of the continent by land. Few railroads or highways would be passable between the Arizona cities and the rest of the country.  Fresh water supplies available from lakes would be greatly reduced or cease, as would supplies of gasoline and natural gas. Electricity generated by the Palo Verde Nulear Power Plant and solar power might be the only reliable sources. Arizona has a strong air transit industry and emergency services and supplies will accessible by plane. The area may have to wait a long time for emergency services from the rest of the country  by land since all the roads leading into the area will pass through other major metropolitan areas also hard hit. This is a new theory that needs to be examined.... the penalty for not being prepared demands that it be taken seriously. These agencies of the United States Government should be prepared in the event that this occurs: The US Department of Defense The Defense Department has a number of sub-units that are directly responsible for preparations in the event of major disasters. Additionally, bases and facilities need adequate preparation in order to survive these types of events. FEMA In the event that such a catastrophe occurred, FEMA would be in charge. Numerous Executive Orders already in place give the Director of FEMA sweeping powers to address the needs of disaster stricken areas.  The problem here is that the Mexican Disconnection may not be on the planning board. The US Department of the Interior The United States Geologic Survey needs to do an analysis to check out this theory. An assessment regarding its occurrence and frequency would provide needed strategic intelligence for planning The US Navy Naval bases on the west coast will be devastated by tidal forces unleashed by tectonic movements. A study of precursor events and a program to detect them could reduce the Navy's exposure. Long-term planning might emphasize high sea duty while limiting port stays in the region. The Navy's role in recovery would require substantial use of helicopters and hovercraft which should be protected but available in the area. 6th US Army The Sixth is in charge of defending the lower forty-eight and would be on the hook to manage keeping the peace while large populations are near starvation. They need to be organized to deal with this potential. US Army Corps of Engineers The Corps of Engineers will be busy opening roads damaged by earthquakes by building temporary bridges and repairing dams. Obviously this is an incomplete list since nearly every area of government would be involved, but these are a good place to start.

 

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