A New York Earthquake?

Could an earthquake hit New York City? Recent analysis by scientists proves the fear is real. A study conducted by Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Observatory revealed many small faults believed to be inactive, which could eventually contribute to a “major, disastrous earthquake,” reports Jim Fitzgerald of the Associated Press.

Though most earthquakes happen out west in states like California, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon, recent studies point to the island metropolis as a possibility. The study also found that a “line of seismic activity comes within two miles of the Indian Point nuclear power plant, about 25 miles north of New York City.”

Studies suggest that Indian Point is at an “intersection of faults.” The city doesn’t have a single great fault like the San Andreas fault in California, instead, Columbia scientist Leonardo Seeber pointed out, the east coast’s faults are separated within minor and subtle faults, which can “contribute to the severity of an earthquake.” This is because one fault can jump to another.

Though an earthquake of magnitude 7 happens in the area around once every 3,400 years, researchers are clueless as to when the last one hit. Because of this uncertainty, and because of the hundreds of buildings on the island, as well as the American financial market, many lives and billions of dollars are at risk. The study, which has been published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, analyzed 383 known earthquakes over the past 330 years “in or near New York City.” The most effective were in 1737, 1783 and 1884. The report reveals there is a seismic zone running west from the southwest tip of Connecticut and “intersecting with the large, well-known Ramapo fault near Indian Point.”

Lynn Sykes, the lead author of the report, admits the risks are greater than he originally thought, especially because of the fact that there are nuclear plants nearby. But others consider the findings “purely circumstantial” and speculative. It is unclear by report standards to tell if further investigation will follow these findings.

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