Friday, March 11, 2011

Damage to CC Harbor via the Medford Mail Tribune

Youtube has quite a few good videos that show the tsunami while it's happening. Search: Crescent City tsunami
Copy and paste the link below:

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/_flash/gallery/gallery.html&Site=MM&Date=20110311&Category=MEDIA01&ArtNo=311009999&Ref=PH

14 comments:

other said...

My heart breaks, because i see the economic damage to the area. I hope they can get everything back together before the next fishing season.
I think that dredging might of been a good move last year. I think it would of been far more devastating.

On a side note.
I would of like to of been in battery point when this hit.
sorry i had to go while talking to you.
Dick

Jim said...

There has been a lot of damage in the harbor. I went downtown about 4:00 PM to see the harbor and it was still blocked off because of the tsunami advisory still being in effect.

The berm that was put up after the 1964 tsunami did its job and protected the city from danger.
If the tsunami had been larger or arrived at any other time than exact low tide (1.0) it would have been much more devastating.

Peter said...

Hey Jim; Can you explain, or do you have a link that explains why Crescent City is so vulnerable to tsunamis? I saw a map, color coded, and it showed CC to be the worst spot to be on the whole West coast.

Jim said...

Sandi and I were talking about that subject just tonight. Personally, I think that it's much like a wind prone area that channels wind through a mountain pass. I think there must be some kind of seafloor topography that channels it much the same way and makes Crescent City a magnet.
I'm going to do a web search to find out more about it.

Bonnie said...

Glad you guys are okay, when I heard someone went missing that was taking pictures, I got worried be new you be to smart to do something dumb like that.

Got your card today, thanks so much. We still miss her so much but our new little girl is helping healing our loss.

other said...

Peter,
im not Jim, but go here..
http://www.slate.com/id/2288020/
Dick

other said...

in short..
Why is Crescent City so vulnerable to tsunamis? Apparently the main culprit is the Mendocino Fracture Zone, an underwater elevation extending westward that guides tsunamis into deeper water, where they pick up speed as they approach the mainland. The West Coast's topography around Crescent City curves inland, which intensifies a tsunami's effect, and the shoreline of Crescent City itself is (as the name suggests) a curve within that curve. The town's name is also, of course, the nickname of New Orleans, itself devastated by flood during 2005's Hurricane Katrina. One lesson would appear to be that if you want to stay dry, don't call
the place where you live "Crescent City."

Mendocino Fracture Zone, submarine fracture zone in the eastern Pacific Ocean, defined by one of the major transform faults dissecting the spreading centre of the Gorda Ridges. The Mendocino Fracture Zone extends west from immediately offshore of Cape Mendocino, California, for at least 2,500 miles (4,000 km). Topographically, over much of its length, the Mendocino Fault forms a south-facing scarp some 5,000 to 10,000 feet (1,500 to 3,000 metres) high; farther west it is about 8,400 feet (2,600 metres). Regional bathymetric depths north of the fracture zone are consistently 2,600 to 3,900 feet (800 to 1,200 metres) shallower than to the south.

Magnetic intensities of seafloor rocks indicate an apparent lateral offset of 700 miles along the fracture zone; rocks north of the fracture zone are 23 to 27 million years younger than rocks to the south. This apparent displacement is the scar of transform faulting that accompanied seafloor spreading, a process still going on along the Gorda Ridges north of the fracture zone. This spreading, estimated to proceed at a rate of 1.1 inches (2.9 cm) per year on either side of the Gorda Ridges, results in earthquakes along the fracture zone, from the crest of the ridge eastward to the coast.
Dick

Peter said...

Thanks for the research and info. I remember the behavior of the tsunami in Indonesia had some interesting effects. They weren't so obvious from simply viewing from satellite. I was listening to NPR this morning, apparently there was a huge tsunami in Japan in 1700s, birthed from an earthquake on our West Coast. The speculation was that the tsunami must have really effected our coastline. They were saying that now our coastal communities largely ignore the possibility that it can easily happen again.

Jim said...

For all Facebook fans, Rachael showed me some great video of the tsunami. Search for KCRE or KPOD tsunami.

Bonnie said...

Thanks for the undate. How many miles are you guys from the ocean. I don't think we will be moving there anytime soon. Not sure we like you guys being there.

Jim said...

Yes, Peter, I remember learning about the evidence for that quake that happened about 300 years ago in a geology class in college. I was pretty fascinated by the subject and the proximity. They had pretty good evidence to suggest the relationship between that earthquake and a tsunami in Japan.

We're about a mile from the ocean and about 50' elevation. Anything's possible.

other said...

HEY, I know where theres a house for sale. Give ya a good deal.
;)
Dick

Peter said...

Thanks for the pictures Jim. I really have conflicting feelings when I see what happened. Everyone is riveted to the tube, because, like a tornado, it's a display of something truly awesome, but something incredibly sad at the same time. We're really like ants that build their nest too close to the pond. On the other hand, I'd do it if I could afford it. Crazy.

Bonnie said...

I agree Peter. Although even where the rest of us live so close to water sources of some kind, when the big one hits here I doubt any of us would be safe especially on the LEFT coast. It's both exciting and eye opening when we see so many things increasing that God warned us of in the last days. And no I really don't believe these things have ever occured like they are in recent years. I believe the word, "INCREASING" in the scriptures is what proves the difference from the past. It's hard not to watch and pay attention to world events of all kind in these times we live. How exciting and tragic to see these things occur.