A devastating earthquake threatens New York: what residents should prepare for

Scientists warn that New York is in danger of a major earthquake that could destroy thousands of buildings as the city center is on fault lines that could cause violent shocks.

Фото: Depositphotos

The last earthquake of 5,0 magnitude occurred in the city in 1884, and since, according to observations, shocks of such a force occur in New York every 100 of years, this means that residents of the metropolis should expect another strong earthquake, writes Strange sounds.

New York is not considered a seismically hot zone, but five areas of the city abound with fault lines that can cause earthquakes that can destroy dozens of buildings.

With a population of 8,5 million people and fairly dense buildings with thousands of tall buildings, New York can suffer significant damage even from an 5,0 earthquake.

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The area in which modern New York is located also statistically experiences magnitude 6,0 earthquakes approximately every 670 years and magnitude 7,0 earthquakes every 3400 years. Each of the shocks of such force can become catastrophic for the metropolis. Earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 5 occur more often; there have been several hundred of them over the history of the city.

Experts warn that New York could collapse like a house of cards and suffer 39 billion dollars worth of damage if an earthquake of 5 points occurs along the fault line on 125 Street. More than 6000 old buildings will collapse if an earthquake reaches strength in 7 points.

New York's largest fault line runs along 125 Street from New Jersey to the East River, passing Central Park to Roosevelt Island.

The Dickman Street Fault extends from Inwood to the Morris Heights in the Bronx, passing into the Mosholu Parkway Fault, which extends further north.

A long fault on the East River runs along the west side of Central Park, then turns onto 32 Street and heads for the East River.

They are supplemented by dozens of other small faults that make up the "grid" under the streets of Manhattan and other areas of New York.

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Larger faults in other states may also affect New York. If earthquakes occur there, strong aftershocks can hit New York due to several faults located beneath it.

The greatest danger to the city is the thousands of old buildings that were built without the strict earthquake protection regulations introduced in New York in 1995.

Even a not very strong earthquake can partially destroy their masonry, filling the streets with heavy garbage.

With jolts of 5.0 points or higher, many of these buildings will fall apart, destroying homes and injuring people.

According to the New York City Earthquake Mitigation Consortium, the most vulnerable are buildings that are built on sedimentary rocks, rather than solid ones, that can weaken the effect of tremors on buildings.

Therefore, in the event of a major earthquake, downtown Manhattan and some areas of Midtown will suffer the most, but upper Manhattan and especially Central Park will suffer less.

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Also at risk are the massive tunnels through which trains pass under the Hudson River in New Jersey, they can be badly damaged.

They were built long before the earthquake protection standards were introduced, in addition, they no longer lie on the ground around them, which can increase the amplitude of oscillations. And if there is a train inside, then the option of a fire or even an explosion is not excluded.

New York earthquake history

The last earthquake of 5,0 scores occurred in the 1884 year, it caused a huge crack in the ground in Brooklyn, destroyed chimneys and damaged the walls of buildings. Prior to this, an earthquake of 5,2 score occurred in the 1737 year, the damage was small, but then the city was much less built up.

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