The slope to the left, with the light posts at the base, is a fault scarp. For more details and several other similar pictures, follow the link.
When I was younger, I was quite indignant about "stupid" land use. For example, Route 20 crosses over the Cascades east of Corvallis. Much of the Western Cascades (the older, extinct portion) is composed of poorly consolidated ash and debris flow deposits; that volcanoclastic material goes rapidly to clay in our mild and moist climate. And the road falls apart on a regular basis. The amount of money spent to maintain that road is astronomical. As I said, I was at one point quite sanctimonius about how "stupid" that road is.
It eventually dawned on me that the economic importance of that road- allowing commerce across the Cascades without driving up to the Columbia Gorge, a major Ski area and other tourism facilities, more than justified the cost of maintaining the road. Since then, I've tried to be more aware of the total cost/benefit equation, rather than just dismissing "stupid" construction.
But it's very difficult for me to accept that most people are simply unaware of the risks that go with particular chunks of real estate. As indignant as I was over Bush's comment that "no one could have forseen" the New Orleans disaster, I suspect that only a small percent of people in the country were aware how risky that area really is. For the record, in my first college geology class, fall 1980, we spent 15 or 20 minutes talking about the disaster waiting to happen there. So someone (actually, many ones) did forsee the problem.
I do think that along with biology, chemistry and physics that are considered the core high school sciences, geology should be an important addition. How many of the people working at this McDonalds do you suppose know there's a fault right there? How many have any idea how to recognize a scarp? I would bet the answer to both questions is "none." And that's just not right.
isnt a lot of land a disaster waiting to happen -- could be earthquake, weather, flooding......
ReplyDeleteor just could be the sound of the economy crashing
Almost every place has natural hazards/potential disasters, but most of these have clues regarding their risk. Being below sea level along an enormous river is a good clue you're at risk for flooding. A fresh ten-foot escarpment is a good clue you're at risk for earthquakes. Most such clues are easy to recognize. My problem is not that people build in risky areas- I don't think that can realistically be avoided. But the fact that people aren't even aware of the risks, that I have a problem with. The fact that people don't recognize river terraces, and that those extra few feet could be the difference between a disaster and a nuisance, that I have a problem with.
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