Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/450857
18 Wines&Vines February 2015 WINERY & VINEYARD NEWS N apa, Calif.—The magnitude-6 earth- quake that shook the Napa Valley on Aug. 24 was the strongest the region had felt in more than 20 years. But the next earthquake in the area could be much stronger, according to preliminary research the Univer- sity of California, Davis, presented in December at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco, Calif. New technologies enabled the UC Davis team to produce scientific information for the public at unprecedented speeds following the quake, according to a news release about UC Davis' research into the quake. The team of geologists and graduate stu- dents from the UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences found that the West Napa Fault line is longer than previously thought and capable of a much stronger, more destructive earthquake in the future. The researchers found that the total fault length is about 45 miles—enough to produce a magnitude-7 earthquake, which has 31 times the energy release of a magnitude-6 earth- quake. That energy release happens on a longer section of fault with more slippage, which con- tributes to producing larger earthquakes. "In terms of Napa Valley, it raises what is possible," said associate professor Mike Oskin, who helped lead a class in measuring and map- ping the fault. "It would be a much larger earthquake and much more devastating than what has happened historically." Geological evidence along the fault suggests such a quake might happen every 1,000 to 2,000 years, though Oskin said no one knows precisely. The class also compared this year's earth- quake to one that occurred in nearby Yountville in 2000 and found they were on the same fault, affirming that a small portion of fault ruptured twice in the past 15 years. UC Davis graduate students Chad Trexler and Alex Morelan drove to Napa in the hours immediately following the earthquake. In a separate mapping project presented at the AGU meeting, Trexler described how they used smartphones, text messages, Twitter and Google Earth to create the first publicly available, online map of where the fault broke to the surface. California has not experienced a surface- rupturing earthquake in more than 20 years, before such technologies were available. "Twenty years is not long geologically speaking, but in terms of technology, it's huge," said Trexler. "Everyone wants to know where the fault broke for things like infrastructure repair and emergency response. The quicker you can get that up, the better." While they took traditional measurements in the field, they also snapped photos to docu- ment broken sidewalks, roads and curbs before they could be repaired. —Andrew Adams Next Earthquake Could Be 'Much More Devastating' for Napa Valley UC DAVIS A crack caused by the Aug. 24 earthquake leads into a vineyard near Cuttings Wharf in Napa, Calif. QST offers its clients……. Professionally fabricated stainless tanks 35 years of tank fabrication experience Performance & reliability guarantees Custom designs & modern features Quick & competitive tank project pricing On site tank repairs & modifications Special application tanks of all sizes "In stock tanks" from 500 to 10,000 gallons 510 Caletti Ave. Windsor, Ca. 95492 Phone 707-837-2721 or Toll-Free 877-598-0672 www.qualitystainless.com Company Website winetanks@aol.com email contact/sales info Custom Fabricated Tanks for the perfect size & fit… or Ready to Ship "Stock Tanks" Either way QST is ready to assist our clients! Call QST today for information or pricing! QUALITY STAINLESS TANKS