The document summarizes a study that investigated "active faults" that were previously interpreted to pass through Beverly Hills High School (BHHS) property based on geotechnical data collected for a subway project. Trenches and boreholes excavated by the BHHS consultants failed to find any faults on the property. Stratigraphic correlations and dating indicated the deposits were mid-Pleistocene in age and undisturbed, clearing the school from fault hazards. The interpreted faults were shown to be an erosional scarp and the consequence of the original fault maps was the unexpected expenditure of millions on emergency investigations that found no active faults where interpreted.
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
3D Facies Modelling project using Petrel software. Msc Geology and Geophysics
Abstract
The Montserrat and Sant Llorenç del Munt fan-delta complexes were developed during the Eocene in the Ebro basin. The depositional stratigraphic record of these fan deltas has been described as a made up by a several transgressive and regressive composite sequences each made up by several fundamental sequences. Each sequence set is in turn composed by five main facies belts: proximal alluvial fan, distal alluvial fan, delta front, carbonates platforms and prodelta.
Using outcrop data from three composite sequences (Sant Vicenç, Vilomara and Manresa), a 3D facies model was built. The key sequential traces of the studied area georeferenced and digitalized on to photorealistic terrain models, were the hard data used as input to reconstruct the main surfaces, which are separating transgressive and regressive stacking patterns. Regarding the facies modelling has been achieved using a geostatistical algorithm in order to define the stacking trend and the interfingerings of adjacent facies belts, and five paleogeographyc maps to reproduce the paleogeometry of the facies belts within each system tract.
The final model has been checked, using a real cross section, and analysed in order to obtain information about the Delta Front facies which are the ones susceptible to be analogous of a reservoir. Attending to the results including eight probability maps of occurrence, the transgressive sequence set of Vilomara is the greatest accumulation of these facies explained by its agradational component.
Remote Sensing Technique as Exploration Tool for Ground water in Parts of the...theijes
The study area lies within latitudes 8°00' – 9°00'N and longitudes 11°30' – 12°30'E. Analysis of remote sensing imageries of part of the Upper Benue Trough of Nigeria was carried out on a scale of 1:100,000. The aim of this study includes the structural interpretation of the remote sensing data and the identification of the lineament and drainage patterns associated with the area to infer the influence of such structures on the economic potential of the basin. Results of the structural analysis revealed numerous lineaments. Trend analysis of the lineaments plotted on a rose diagram using the strikes and lengths of the entire lineaments revealed structural trends predominating in the NE-SW direction. The absence of visible lineaments in parts of the area may not indicate absence of geological structures. Some of these lineaments were found on some drainages showing that the drainages in those areas are structurally and tectonically controlled. The areas where the lineaments cross each other are indicative of groundwater availability and there correspond to regions of mean topographic height of about 900m
Marmara ve İstanbul için ayrı ayrı 2 senaryo yapılmış. Coulomb Stress etkisi önemli ölçüde deprem olasılığını yükseltiyor. Özellikle, KAFZ boyunca meydana gelen depremlerin yüzey kırıklarının Dünya'da ki benzer büyük depremlerin yüzey kırıklarından oldukça farklı ve büyük.
Deprem nerede olacak?
Neden OBS Deprem İzleme çalışması?
10 aylık OBS sismisite verisi ile Marmara denizi içinde çok aktif ve az aktif alanların tespiti yapılmış. Aynı süre içerisinde normal deprem istasyonları ile yapılan deprem verisinin 7 misli daha fazla verinin bu şekilde kayıt edildiği belirtiliyor. İlave olarak, deniz tabanında ki faya yakın OBS kayıtçılar ile dış merkez hataları çok minimize ediliyor ve ilave olarak sismik tomografi çalışması fay boyunca yapılabiliyor.
OBS depremler ile deprem tehlikesini doğru anlamak
Aktif olmayan alanların değişimi Marmara denizinin Doğu-Batı yönünde EŞİT değil ve bu farklılık üzerinden ekte verilen çalışmada bir sonuç öneriliyor. Beklenen İstanbul depreminin olacağından şüphe yok fakat esas araştırılan konu fay zonu'nun hangi alanının bu tür büyük bir depremi üretecek enerji birikimi kapasitesini araştırmak.
Aşağıda ki soruları doğal olarak bu paylaşımı okuyan birisi sorabilir.
Nerede olacağını bilmek neden önemli?
İstanbul deprem riski açısından olacak depremin hangi enlem ve boylam (dış merkez) ve derinlikte (iç merkez) olmasının bilinmesi ne yarar sağlar?
Kaynak: Figure 8 of Yamamato et. al., 2016. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/2016JB013608
Recent north magnetic pole acceleration towards Siberia caused by flux lobe e...Sérgio Sacani
The wandering of Earth’s north magnetic pole, the location where the magnetic field points vertically downwards, has long been
a topic of scientific fascination. Since the first in situ measurements in 1831 of its location in the Canadian arctic, the pole has
drifted inexorably towards Siberia, accelerating between 1990 and 2005 from its historic speed of 0–15 km yr−1
to its present
speed of 50–60 km yr−1
. In late October 2017 the north magnetic pole crossed the international date line, passing within 390 km
of the geographic pole, and is now moving southwards. Here we show that over the last two decades the position of the north
magnetic pole has been largely determined by two large-scale lobes of negative magnetic flux on the core–mantle boundary
under Canada and Siberia. Localized modelling shows that elongation of the Canadian lobe, probably caused by an alteration
in the pattern of core flow between 1970 and 1999, substantially weakened its signature on Earth’s surface, causing the pole
to accelerate towards Siberia. A range of simple models that capture this process indicate that over the next decade the north
magnetic pole will continue on its current trajectory, travelling a further 390–660 km towards Siberia.
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
3D Facies Modelling project using Petrel software. Msc Geology and Geophysics
Abstract
The Montserrat and Sant Llorenç del Munt fan-delta complexes were developed during the Eocene in the Ebro basin. The depositional stratigraphic record of these fan deltas has been described as a made up by a several transgressive and regressive composite sequences each made up by several fundamental sequences. Each sequence set is in turn composed by five main facies belts: proximal alluvial fan, distal alluvial fan, delta front, carbonates platforms and prodelta.
Using outcrop data from three composite sequences (Sant Vicenç, Vilomara and Manresa), a 3D facies model was built. The key sequential traces of the studied area georeferenced and digitalized on to photorealistic terrain models, were the hard data used as input to reconstruct the main surfaces, which are separating transgressive and regressive stacking patterns. Regarding the facies modelling has been achieved using a geostatistical algorithm in order to define the stacking trend and the interfingerings of adjacent facies belts, and five paleogeographyc maps to reproduce the paleogeometry of the facies belts within each system tract.
The final model has been checked, using a real cross section, and analysed in order to obtain information about the Delta Front facies which are the ones susceptible to be analogous of a reservoir. Attending to the results including eight probability maps of occurrence, the transgressive sequence set of Vilomara is the greatest accumulation of these facies explained by its agradational component.
Remote Sensing Technique as Exploration Tool for Ground water in Parts of the...theijes
The study area lies within latitudes 8°00' – 9°00'N and longitudes 11°30' – 12°30'E. Analysis of remote sensing imageries of part of the Upper Benue Trough of Nigeria was carried out on a scale of 1:100,000. The aim of this study includes the structural interpretation of the remote sensing data and the identification of the lineament and drainage patterns associated with the area to infer the influence of such structures on the economic potential of the basin. Results of the structural analysis revealed numerous lineaments. Trend analysis of the lineaments plotted on a rose diagram using the strikes and lengths of the entire lineaments revealed structural trends predominating in the NE-SW direction. The absence of visible lineaments in parts of the area may not indicate absence of geological structures. Some of these lineaments were found on some drainages showing that the drainages in those areas are structurally and tectonically controlled. The areas where the lineaments cross each other are indicative of groundwater availability and there correspond to regions of mean topographic height of about 900m
Marmara ve İstanbul için ayrı ayrı 2 senaryo yapılmış. Coulomb Stress etkisi önemli ölçüde deprem olasılığını yükseltiyor. Özellikle, KAFZ boyunca meydana gelen depremlerin yüzey kırıklarının Dünya'da ki benzer büyük depremlerin yüzey kırıklarından oldukça farklı ve büyük.
Deprem nerede olacak?
Neden OBS Deprem İzleme çalışması?
10 aylık OBS sismisite verisi ile Marmara denizi içinde çok aktif ve az aktif alanların tespiti yapılmış. Aynı süre içerisinde normal deprem istasyonları ile yapılan deprem verisinin 7 misli daha fazla verinin bu şekilde kayıt edildiği belirtiliyor. İlave olarak, deniz tabanında ki faya yakın OBS kayıtçılar ile dış merkez hataları çok minimize ediliyor ve ilave olarak sismik tomografi çalışması fay boyunca yapılabiliyor.
OBS depremler ile deprem tehlikesini doğru anlamak
Aktif olmayan alanların değişimi Marmara denizinin Doğu-Batı yönünde EŞİT değil ve bu farklılık üzerinden ekte verilen çalışmada bir sonuç öneriliyor. Beklenen İstanbul depreminin olacağından şüphe yok fakat esas araştırılan konu fay zonu'nun hangi alanının bu tür büyük bir depremi üretecek enerji birikimi kapasitesini araştırmak.
Aşağıda ki soruları doğal olarak bu paylaşımı okuyan birisi sorabilir.
Nerede olacağını bilmek neden önemli?
İstanbul deprem riski açısından olacak depremin hangi enlem ve boylam (dış merkez) ve derinlikte (iç merkez) olmasının bilinmesi ne yarar sağlar?
Kaynak: Figure 8 of Yamamato et. al., 2016. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/2016JB013608
Recent north magnetic pole acceleration towards Siberia caused by flux lobe e...Sérgio Sacani
The wandering of Earth’s north magnetic pole, the location where the magnetic field points vertically downwards, has long been
a topic of scientific fascination. Since the first in situ measurements in 1831 of its location in the Canadian arctic, the pole has
drifted inexorably towards Siberia, accelerating between 1990 and 2005 from its historic speed of 0–15 km yr−1
to its present
speed of 50–60 km yr−1
. In late October 2017 the north magnetic pole crossed the international date line, passing within 390 km
of the geographic pole, and is now moving southwards. Here we show that over the last two decades the position of the north
magnetic pole has been largely determined by two large-scale lobes of negative magnetic flux on the core–mantle boundary
under Canada and Siberia. Localized modelling shows that elongation of the Canadian lobe, probably caused by an alteration
in the pattern of core flow between 1970 and 1999, substantially weakened its signature on Earth’s surface, causing the pole
to accelerate towards Siberia. A range of simple models that capture this process indicate that over the next decade the north
magnetic pole will continue on its current trajectory, travelling a further 390–660 km towards Siberia.
It has been proposed that ~3.4 billion years ago an ocean fed by enormous catastrophic floods covered
most of the Martian northern lowlands. However, a persistent problem with this hypothesis is the
lack of definitive paleoshoreline features. Here, based on geomorphic and thermal image mapping in
the circum-Chryse and northwestern Arabia Terra regions of the northern plains, in combination with
numerical analyses, we show evidence for two enormous tsunami events possibly triggered by bolide
impacts, resulting in craters ~30km in diameter and occurring perhaps a few million years apart. The
tsunamis produced widespread littoral landforms, including run-up water-ice-rich and bouldery lobes,
which extended tens to hundreds of kilometers over gently sloping plains and boundary cratered
highlands, as well as backwash channels where wave retreat occurred on highland-boundary surfaces.
The ice-rich lobes formed in association with the younger tsunami, showing that their emplacement
took place following a transition into a colder global climatic regime that occurred after the older
tsunami event. We conclude that, on early Mars, tsunamis played a major role in generating and
resurfacing coastal terrains.
A contribution to the analysis of urban erosion (Democratic Republic of Congo) ExternalEvents
Mr A. Emery Murhula, Cabinet d’expertise environnemental et social (CEE), Democratic Republic of the Congo. Global Symposium on Soil Erosion (GSER19), 15 - 17 May 2019 at FAO HQ.
Ages and stratigraphy of lunar mare basalts a synthesis
Beverly Hills-2013-EMG Paper
1. 4th International INQUA Meeting on Paleoseismology, Active Tectonics and Archeoseismology (PATA), 9-14 October 2013, Aachen, Germany
INQUA Focus Group on Paleoseismology and Active Tectonics
The West Beverly Hills Lineament and Beverly Hills High School: An Unexpected Journey
Gath, Eldon (1), Tania Gonzalez (1), Joe Roe (2), Philip Buchiarelli (2), Miles Kenney (3)
(1) Earth Consultants International, 1642 E. 4th
St., Santa Ana, CA 92701, USA; gath@earthconsultants.com
(2) Leighton Consulting, 17781 Cowan, Irvine, CA 92614, USA
(3) Kenney Geosciences, 1105 Vista Bonita Dr., Vista, CA 92083 USA
Abstract: Results of geotechnical studies for the Westside Subway were disclosed in a public hearing on Oct. 19, 2011, showing
new “active faults” of the Santa Monica fault and the West Beverly Hills Lineament (WBHL), identified as a northern extension of
the Newport-Inglewood fault. No faults had been physically observed; the faults were all interpreted from cone penetrometer
probes, supplemented by core borings and geophysics. Several of the WBHL faults traversed buildings of the Beverly Hills High
School (BHHS), triggering the school district to map and characterize these faults for future planning efforts, and to quantify risk
to the students in the 1920’s high school building. 5 exploratory trenches were excavated within the high school property, 12 cone
penetrometers were pushed, and 26-cored borings were drilled. Geologic logging of the trenches and borings and interpretation
of the CPT data failed to confirm the presence of the mapped WBHL faults, instead showing a 3° NE dipping sequence of mid-
Pleistocene alluvial fan deposits conformably overlying an ~1 Ma marine sand. Using 14
C, OSL, and soil pedology for stratigraphic
dating, the BHHS site was cleared from fault rupture hazards and the WBHL was shown to be an erosional margin of Benedict
Canyon, partially buttressed by 40-200 ka alluvial deposits from Benedict Wash. The consequence of the Westside Subway’s
active fault maps has been the unexpected expenditure of millions of dollars for emergency fault investigations at BHHS and
several other private properties within a densely developed highrise urban environment. None of these studies have found any
active faults where they had been interpreted, mapped, and published by the subway’s consultants.
Key words: Fault investigation, hazard communication, ethics
INTRODUCTION
In the 1992 Association of Engineering Geologist’s
Annual Meeting’s field trip guidebook, the West Beverly
Hills Lineament (WBHL) was first identified as a
geomorphic feature and placed into a structural context
as a step-over between the Santa Monica and Hollywood
faults (Dolan and Sieh, 1992).
Fig. 1: Geologic map of the Beverly Hills High School
(BHHS) project site, showing the predominantly Mesozoic
crystalline and metamorphic rocks of the Santa Monica
Mountains to the north (top) and the Quaternary alluvial fan
and fluvial deposits to the south (Yerkes and Campbell,
2005). CC – Century City; HF – Hollywood fault; NIF –
Newport-Inglewood fault; SMF – Santa Monica fault; WBHL
– West Beverly Hills Lineament.
Subsequent tectonic modeling of the western LA basin
assumed the presence of this N-S tectonic feature and
built upon it (e.g. Hummon et al., 1994) and it became
included on multiple maps (e.g. Yerkes and Campbell,
2005), despite objections from geologists of the Beverly
Hills Oil Field, bisected by the lineament, who stated that
no such structural feature was possible based on their
300+ well logs and operational history (Lang, 1994).
Paleoseismic studies of the Santa Monica and Hollywood
faults (Dolan et al., 2000a & 2000b) showed evidence for
a Holocene event on each, but the two events could not
be temporally correlated and the faults had average
return periods of about 10 ka. Neither fault has been
zoned active under the California Alquist-Priolo
Earthquake Fault Zone Act despite the 13 years since the
studies were published, and even less attention was
given to the WBHL as a potential fault hazard because 1)
it was secondary to low activity faults, 2) it had never
been mapped at a scale usable for assessment, and 3) it
had never been confirmed as a fault.
Preliminary geologic studies were completed for the
Environmental Impact Report of the Westside Subway
Extension Project from Los Angeles to Santa Monica, and
the Metro Board approved the project in Sept. 2010.
Additional fault-specific investigations were authorized
by the Metro Board in Oct. 2010 to better understand the
neotectonic structures and fault rupture hazards of the
Century City / Beverly Hills area of western Los Angeles
(Fig. 1), as they related to proposed subway station
locations. The results of that work (PB, 2011) were
simultaneously released to the public via press releases,
newspapers, and an open Board meeting at Metro which
posted videos of the meeting onto YouTube
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omx2BTIpzAk].
The active fault map released to the media was highly
alarming for the community (Fig. 2). It showed two wide
zones of faults, one trending generally ENE as active
strands of the Santa Monica fault zone and another
generally NNW as active faults of the West Beverly Hills
Lineament, now also correlated to the active Newport-
Inglewood fault which was previously terminated 5 km
to the south in the Baldwin Hills (Fig. 1).
Gath, Eldon, Tania Gonzalez, Joe Roe, Philip Buchiarelli, Miles Kenney, 2013, The West Beverly Hills Lineament and Beverly Hills High
School: An Unexpected Journey; in Seismic Hazard, Critical Facilities, and Slow Active Faults, Proceedings of 4th International INQUA
Meeting on Paleoseismology, Active Tectonics and Archeoseismology, Aachen, Germany, p. 77-81.
2. 4th International INQUA Meeting on Paleoseismology, Active Tectonics and Archeoseismology (PATA), 9-14 October 2013, Aachen, Germany
INQUA Focus Group on Paleoseismology and Active Tectonics
Fig. 2: The fault map released by Metro (PB, 2011) showing
the two fault zones, the proposed tunnel alignments and
station locations, and their relationship to Transect 4 (Fig. 3)
and Beverly Hills High School (BHHS – green shading).
Because of the urban environment, the investigative
tools used by the Metro consultants relied principally
upon stratigraphic correlation of transects of cone
penetrometer (CPT) probes generally spaced about 15 m
apart, supplemented with occasional cored borings and
seismic reflection geophysical profile lines. The CPT logs
were compiled into interpreted sections showing the
stratigraphy and the faults, generally drawn
perpendicular to the transect. Transect 4 is of greatest
relevance to BHHS (Fig. 3).
As mapped, almost the entire WBHL fault zone trended
directly through the BHHS campus (Fig. 2), necessitating
immediate concern for the safety of the students and
employees within the iconic 1920s school building.
Within the month, BHHS contracted Leighton Consulting
Inc. (LCI) to undertake a detailed geologic investigation
to locate and more accurately map the faults through
the campus, and if possible, to better quantify the
hazard that they posed. This paper summarizes the
results of that study.
INVESTIGATION
To locate and map the faults accurately enough for
campus planning, the BHHS consultants relied upon a
suite of investigative tools similar to Metro’s consultants
(borings and CPTs) but also excavated ~270 m of
exploratory trenches (Fig. 4) across available portions of
the BHHS campus to precisely locate, geologically log,
and kinematically quantify the fault displacements that
had been mapped through the school property.
Fig. 4: One of the exploratory trenches excavated to expose
and map the faults that were mapped through the BHHS,
part of which is seen at the top of the photo. Each bench is
about 1.3 m in height; shoring was used where space did
not permit benching. No faults were found in this trench.
Fig. 3: The Transect 4 cross-section lying immediately north of BHHS (Fig. 2) showing the alluvial stratigraphy and the
multiple faults, as originally interpreted from the cone penetrometer test probes and borings (PB, 2011).
3. 4th International INQUA Meeting on Paleoseismology, Active Tectonics and Archeoseismology (PATA), 9-14 October 2013, Aachen, Germany
INQUA Focus Group on Paleoseismology and Active Tectonics
In total, 5 trenches were excavated, 12 CPTs were
pushed, and 26 borings were continuously cored along
two transects. The initial borings were emplaced E-W
across the center of the campus to correlate with the
best location for the surface trenching (T-2 on Fig. 4).
Early on it was realized that the borings should extend
through the alluvial fan deposits, upon which the school
was built, and into an underlying ~1Ma marine unit (San
Pedro Fm) because this contact was easily identified and
correlated from boring to boring (Fig. 5).
Fig. 5: Borehole correlations were made across all of the
borings on the two transects to look for vertical separations
of key marker units that might confirm the faults shown by
Metro. Here, there is excellent correlation of the underlying
San Pedro contact between borings CB-3 (left) and CB-4
(right) at ~25-30 m, despite being on opposite sides of a
mapped fault.
Metro’s Transect 4 (Fig. 3) was redone using CPTs and
borings in adjacent positions that were also drilled
deeper to reach the San Pedro contact (Fig. 6). The
alluvial fan stratigraphy was correlated using mainly the
boring cores because the physical recognition of
stratigraphic correlations could be observed, discussed,
and agreed upon. CPT correlations suffer from cone
variations, divergence from vertical, and indirect
subjectivity. Within the alluvial stratigraphy, a series of
buried paleosols were observed and these provided the
most powerful correlations across the borings (Fig. 6).
Pedogenic development of the geomorphic surface that
forms the primary school site indicated that the soils are
a minimum of 80-100 ka, and could be considerably
older (ECI, 2012). This surface soil, combined with the
time required to form the multiple buried paleosols,
showed that the alluvial fan deposits are of considerable
age, a discovery that raised questions with respect to the
degree of hazard posed by the mapped faults. In the
Metro study, no stratigraphic age estimates were made
(PB, 2010); the faults were simply assumed to be
Holocene in age and thus active by definition. In
addition to locating and mapping the faults in this new
study, there was now a necessity to determine their
rupture age. If the faults could be shown to have no
Holocene-age displacements, then per California criteria,
the faults would be considered inactive, and the hazard
to BHHS would be negligible. To achieve this, borings
alone were not adequate, the faults needed to be
exposed in trenches where their rupture age could be
documented.
The primary trench (T-2) was excavated 100 m down the
eastern lawn (Fig. 4). The slope that forms this dramatic
presentation to the school is the scarp-like feature that
defines the WBHL. Continuous, mid-early Pleistocene
alluvial fan stratigraphy lay unbroken along the entire
trench until erosionally removed by incision of Benedict
Canyon wash on the eastern margin (Fig. 7). The fan
deposits dip 3° NE, as were correlated in the boring
transects (Fig. 6), and extend out the slope face,
demonstrating that the genesis of the slope is erosional
and not structural. The incision of Benedict Creek would
have isolated the upper geomorphic surface, allowing
the surface soil to form. Based on that pedogenic profile
(ECI, 2012) this occurred 100+ ka. Subsequent alluvial fill
buttressed the lower 15 m of the slope (Fig. 7). Buried
paleosols within the Benedict Canyon alluvium provide a
minimum pedogenic age of ~40 ka for the uppermost 5
m, and a similar OSL age of ~25 ka (ECI, 2012; LCI 2012).
No fault offsets were present within the Benedict Canyon
alluvium, nor within the older alluvial fan deposits.
While minor strike slip faults may not be resolvable with
borings alone (Fig. 6), the combination of the trenches
with the boring profiles, the dip to the strata, and their
multiple correlations, do make it improbable.
Fig. 6: The cross-section from Fig. 3 as revised by the new cone penetrometers and borings. The green highlighted layers
are paleosols that have been correlated across the section, effectively eliminating the necessity for fault offset anywhere in
the section. The base of the section is the ~1 Ma San Pedro marine sand at ~50 m depth (LCI, 2012).
4. 4th International INQUA Meeting on Paleoseismology, Active Tectonics and Archeoseismology (PATA), 9-14 October 2013, Aachen, Germany
INQUA Focus Group on Paleoseismology and Active Tectonics
Fig. 7: Trench log (from Fig. 4) and extended cross section
showing the alluvial unconformity that explains the origin the
West Beverly Hills Lineament as an erosional channel
margin that has been partially backfilled by undeformed 30-
200+ ka Benedict Creek sediments.
The only N-S fault observed was in one of the shorter
trenches where two fault-like features, 3 m apart, were
observed to vertically displace an alluvial layer by 10 cm,
with an unknown, but minor, lateral slip component.
This fault was vertically truncated by an overlying cobble
deposit and all subsequent strata. The depth of the
event horizon was 2-3 m beneath the >80-100 ka surface
soil, and with other intervening paleosols adding to the
age, it is reliably concluded that this fault’s single
displacement event occurred at least 300 ka. Although
unproven, it is more likely that this minor feature was
not a tectonic fault, but the geologic evidence for a >300
ka seismic event (a seismite) that generated a
liquefaction failure within the alluvial channel deposits.
DISCUSSION
The lack of faults was unanticipated. While it had been
hoped that the faults could be demonstrated to be
inactive, there was no expectation that faults would not
be present. Faults had been interpreted from
considerable data, subjected to expert analysis, had
been through a Metro peer review process, and yet they
were not there. However, this should be a lesson to all
that geologic interpretation is still an interpretation and
is not, in fact, a fact. The presence of faults was
anticipated, so it was easy to interpret even minor,
stratigraphic irregularities as faults. When a fault was
interpreted it was drawn essentially perpendicular to the
transect line, despite no trend information from the 2-D
transect. The faults were labelled as “active faults”
because of the paradigm within which they were
modelled, despite having no age control on the
sediments that were interpreted as offset. In addition,
they were extended long distances from the transect
from which they were interpreted (Fig. 2) and as such
they impacted numerous high-value properties.
The result of the Metro fault report, and the manner of
its very public release, has led to the unexpected, and
unwelcome, expenditure of millions of dollars by the
BHHS, and millions more by other affected property
owners. The City of Los Angeles cancelled previously
approved development and redevelopment plans until
the owners could address this new fault concern, leading
to the loss of millions in cancelled contracts and business
delays. Homeowners and building owners in Beverly
Hills and Century City were shocked to learn their
property was bisected by an active fault, and concerned
that their real estate values would plummet as a result.
And, Metro used the findings of their fault report to
change an already approved subway alignment to avoid
placing stations within the new active fault zones, and
instead directed the subway directly under BHHS, a
change that generated a firestorm of protest.
The finding by BHHS that the faults mapped through the
school do not exist came as a pleasant surprise to the
school’s Board and community leaders. Similar findings
by other affected property owners and developers are
still coming in, but to date, none of them have found
active faults through their properties as interpreted and
mapped (Fig. 2). This consistent refuting of the active
fault map is alarming. That such a critical map could be
released to the public without any concrete evidence of
a fault’s existence or activity is inconsistent with good
professional practice. It is the equivalent of shouting
“Fire” in a crowded theatre. That is illegal. What is
probable in this case is that years of litigation can be
anticipated over the unexpected and apparently
unnecessary expenditure of tens of millions of geologic
(and legal) dollars by BHHS and the other affected
owners.
Acknowledgements: The project summarized in this paper was
made possible by Tim Buresh and the Beverly Hills Unified
School District, with the participation of many other geologists
and professionals. The thorough project review by J. Treiman
and B. Olson of the Calif. Geological Survey is acknowledged.
REFERENCES
Dolan, J. F. and K.E. Sieh, 1992, Tectonic geomorphology of the
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