X-Message-Number: 1387
Date: 03 Dec 92 01:43:34 EST
From: "Steven B. Harris" <>
Subject: CRYONICS Earthquakes

Posted by Steve Harris
Posted to Cryonet Readers
The Subject is Earthquakes


Dear Folks:

   Some of you may or may not have caught the LA Times Dec 1
edition, which has an article called "Scientists Hike Probability
of Major Quake."   The essence of it is that on Nov. 30 the
probability of a major quake occuring within Southern California
was officially hiked from 4% per year, up to a 5 to 12% chance
per year, with a 47% chance of a major quake in the next FIVE
years.  Yes, you got that right.  Almost even odds of us getting
nailed within FIVE years.  The increased odds are the result of
increased stress on the fault caused by the section of fault
being freed to move as a result of the recent Landers quake.
That quake, by moving a large block of earth away from the San
Andreas fault, destroyed some of its frictional static support. 
It's all sort of like a house being propped up by timbers, and
several of them have recently fallen out from under it.  It's
only a matter of time before it goes down, and the time is
getting shorter.

   And now the paragraph in the TIMES that I found most interest-
ing in terms of Alcor and cryonics:

   "If the quake does occur, it probably will be centered on the
San Andreas Fault close to San Bernardino, Riverside or Palm
Springs, and cause more damage and causualties than the Landers
earthquake, the report released Monday said."

   So there we are.  By some cosmic quirk and vicious irony of
the cruel and merciless universe, we Alcor cryonicists have
chosen to store all our patients more or less exactly on top of
the ONE PLACE in the country most likely to have a "great quake"
(Richter 8 or so) in the next five years.  Gaaahhh!!!  

   I'm not pointing a finger of blame because there's nobody to
blame-- it's just Mother Nature being her usual bitchy self (see
the problem of aging for another example).  However, might I
suggest that we put the task of getting patient storage OUT of
Riverside a notch or two higher on our agenda for the next couple
of years?  Yes, I know that it's extremely difficult in terms of
money, but we at least need to keep it in front of our minds all
the time.  

   And if we absolutely cannot move within a couple of years, is
*everything* possible being done to protect things at our current
facility?  EVERYTHING???  Wrack your brains, folks, we're in deep
doo-doo.

                                  Steve Harris

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