PubTalk 6/2003 — The Quakes, They Are A-comin'

New Estimates of Earthquake Hazard and Risk Across the Bay Region

By Michael Blanpied, Geophysicist

• A USGS-led Working Group has used new ideas about Bay Area faults and earthquakes to revise the probabilities for future quakes
• The slow movement of the Earth.s plates builds up stress that is relieved in violent earthquakes.where are we now in this relentless cycle?
• Earthquakes can.t yet be predicted, but scientists can estimate probabilities of their occurrence
• New scenario ShakeMaps provide a guide to expected shaking and damage from future quakes