What Impact Might An Earthquake Have On The Subway And Tunnels?

[EE Broadway Local]

If there ever was an earthquake of between 3.2 and 7.0 magnitude on the 125th Street fault in Manhattan, what impact might it have on the subway and on the tunnels (Queens-Midtown, Lincoln, Holland and Brooklyn-Battery)?

[Kingsbridge Bus]

The movie earthquake took place on a train

[LRG]

There's a fault line in NYC??? Oh man, we're screwed!!!

That's something I did not now about. I'm gonna look into that.

[Joe]

There's a fault line in NYC??? Oh man, we're screwed!!!

That's something I did not now about. I'm gonna look into that.

 

There are about three or four others as well...

[LRG]

There are about three or four others as well...

 

Yeah, I looked into them.

At least they're not as major as the San Andreas fault line where people living in California think that someday they'll be swimming with the Redbirds....

[Joe]

A fault is not inherently dangerous; an unstable fault on the other hand is.

[LRG]

True that...

[St Louis Car 09]

forget the tunnels,what about the buildings.No building I bet can withstand an earthquake of a high magnitude.

[EE Broadway Local]

If my question seems a little odd/morbid, it's because I'm reading Mr. Chuck Scarborough's "Aftershock" (copyright 1991) for the very first time and it seems more detailed/graphic than the 1999 T.V. Movie.

 

Mr. Scarborough draws a picture of a train at the Fourteenth Street station as a 7.4 magnitude earthquake strikes on the 125th Street fault at 1:21pm on Wednesday October 5, 1994 and of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel rupturing in three places where it passes through different strata.

 

The section that has two ruptures separates from the rest of the tunnel and sinks thirty feet lower in silt and sand that has liquefied temporarily.

 

In the book as in the movie, Mr. Bruce Lincoln is the Mayor.

 

I found it at Borders Market Place for $2.09 (very good condition). Thank goodness it is only a novel/fiction.

 

Nice photo of Mr. Scarborough on the back of the dust jacket.

[lilbluefoxie]

If my question seems a little odd/morbid, it's because I'm reading Mr. Chuck Scarborough's "Aftershock" (copyright 1991) for the very first time and it seems more detailed/graphic than the 1999 T.V. Movie.

 

Mr. Scarborough draws a picture of a train at the Fourteenth Street station as a 7.4 magnitude earthquake strikes on the 125th Street fault at 1:21pm on Wednesday October 5, 1994 and of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel rupturing in three places where it passes through different strata.

 

The section that has two ruptures separates from the rest of the tunnel and sinks thirty feet lower in silt and sand that has liquefied temporarily.

 

In the book as in the movie, Mr. Bruce Lincoln is the Mayor.

 

I found it at Borders Market Place for $2.09 (very good condition). Thank goodness it is only a novel/fiction.

 

Nice photo of Mr. Scarborough on the back of the dust jacket.

 

is that the sue simmons guy or the mika brezinski guy

[EE Broadway Local]

 

is that the sue simmons guy or the mika brezinski guy

Mr. Scarborough is the Ms. Sue Simmons Guy at WNBC 4, lilbluefoxie.

[Pablo M 201]

Collapsement.

[Grand Concourse]

Since the rock the city's built on is so solid [due to thousands of years of glaciers putting pressure on the ground below], I don't think we'd have to worry about earthquakes unless it's like a 7.0 or something. Bridges and river tunnels would be the big problems.

[Forest Glen]

An earthquake is highly unlikely. However, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a tropical storm or hurricane in the city.

[Shortline Bus]

NBC also made it into a TV movie either in the late '90's/around 2000.(forgot the exact year):confused:

 

If my question seems a little odd/morbid, it's because I'm reading Mr. Chuck Scarborough's "Aftershock" (copyright 1991) for the very first time and it seems more detailed/graphic than the 1999 T.V. Movie.

 

Mr. Scarborough draws a picture of a train at the Fourteenth Street station as a 7.4 magnitude earthquake strikes on the 125th Street fault at 1:21pm on Wednesday October 5, 1994 and of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel rupturing in three places where it passes through different strata.

 

The section that has two ruptures separates from the rest of the tunnel and sinks thirty feet lower in silt and sand that has liquefied temporarily.

 

In the book as in the movie, Mr. Bruce Lincoln is the Mayor.

 

I found it at Borders Market Place for $2.09 (very good condition). Thank goodness it is only a novel/fiction.

 

Nice photo of Mr. Scarborough on the back of the dust jacket.

[Shortline Bus]

An earthquake is highly unlikely. However, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a tropical storm or hurricane in the city.

 

agreed. NYC is more likely to suffer from a major tropical storm or even a catgeory 2-3 hurricane. Besides California and even Neveda, the area of the USA most likely to get a major earthquake is the pacific northwest ie Washington State, Oregon, Montana.

[KeystoneRegional]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[metsfan]

If a 7.0 quake happened along that fault, several things would happen....

 

Lots of landfilled areas would subside & there could be major sediment shifts & perhaps a landslide affecting all of the hudson tunnels to some extent.

 

Lots of brick buildings would meet the street, a lot of missing windows, lots of structural and utility damage.

 

Bridges would not do well, mainly the willy b, since it is the least structurally sound and least beefy bridge in the vicinity.

 

JFK would likely sink, not sure how much. A lot of the elevated lines would have some issues, the west side line may have some stuff fall down onto the tracks, times square would be a mess of broken neon and LED etc. Park ave tunnel is pretty sound it would probably only see some minor masonry issues missing grout, maybe some bricks fallen.

 

Animals in bronx & central park zoo would be freaking out, same with anyone riding a horse or taking a horse-drawn carriage ride.

 

Most of the steam pipes would rupture, possibly scalding people, and affecting other utilities. Cell service would likely be knocked out as antennas fall out of alignment from their designated target zones..

 

It would be a bad day to be within 5 miles of manhattan, devastating in manhattan and southern bx & nearby NJ. Subway tunnels in the area of most intense shaking could buckle and partially collapse, since they are relatively well built they may not totally cave in.

 

- A

[Joe]

The at 125 is not elevated because of the fault; it's elevated because that way the rails have almost no grade. That location marks a valley on Manhattan Island. It was deemed that running the railroad above-ground would be more cost efficient than digging underneath the valley.

[metsfan]

The at 125 is not elevated because of the fault; it's elevated because that way the rails have almost no grade. That location marks a valley on Manhattan Island. It was deemed that running the railroad above-ground would be more cost efficient than digging underneath the valley.

 

Yea, i saw some construction photos of that bridge, pretty amazing for 1900's! :eek: Makes me feel like our generation is a bunch of lazy-arsed stooges.

 

- A

[KeystoneRegional]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[EE Broadway Local]

That's another thing, Mr. Scarborough pictures bears, lions and tigers from the Central Park Zoo roaming the park after being set free by the earthquake. Also he mentions about pets (dogs, cats, parakeets) after the earthquake.

 

The book is done in sections: "The Day Before" - Tuesday October 4, 1994; "The First Day" - Wednesday October 5, 1994 and then the second through sixth days - Thursday October 6, 1994 through Monday October 10, 1994.

 

He follows the survivors in the Queens-Midtown Tunnel through the third day (sounds like the air was oxygen-poor by that point and depleting and there didn't seem likely a rescue attempt on the separated and sunken section of tunnel where they were trapped in a pocket between the ends that had been sealed by silt and sand). The subway survivors (one is Miss Evie Lincoln - daughter of Mayor Lincoln) unfortunately get robbed at 42d Street-Times Square but overcome that and other obstacles, finally reaching help and an unblocked/cleared exit at 66th Street-Lincoln Center on day four after walking from their train at 14th Street.

 

Mr. Brendon Ahern, NYFD Battalion Chief works with Mayor Bruce Lincoln, taking a trip by helicopter to get an idea of the extent of the damage.

[Shortline Bus]

EE Local did you see the TV Movie that came out around 10 years ago circa 2000 from Scarborugh's book on this topic?

 

That's another thing, Mr. Scarborough pictures bears, lions and tigers from the Central Park Zoo roaming the park after being set free by the earthquake. Also he mentions about pets (dogs, cats, parakeets) after the earthquake.

 

The book is done in sections: "The Day Before" - Tuesday October 4, 1994; "The First Day" - Wednesday October 5, 1994 and then the second through sixth days - Thursday October 6, 1994 through Monday October 10, 1994.

 

He follows the survivors in the Queens-Midtown Tunnel through the third day (sounds like the air was oxygen-poor by that point and depleting and there didn't seem likely a rescue attempt on the separated and sunken section of tunnel where they were trapped in a pocket between the ends that had been sealed by silt and sand). The subway survivors (one is Miss Evie Lincoln - daughter of Mayor Lincoln) unfortunately get robbed at 42d Street-Times Square but overcome that and other obstacles, finally reaching help and an unblocked/cleared exit at 66th Street-Lincoln Center on day four after walking from their train at 14th Street.

 

Mr. Brendon Ahern, NYFD Battalion Chief works with Mayor Bruce Lincoln, taking a trip by helicopter to get an idea of the extent of the damage.

[EE Broadway Local]

Hi. Yes, I did! I actually own a copy of both "Aftershock: Earthquake In New York" and "Deep Impact" on VHS. Mr. Charles S. Dutton was good as Mayor Bruce Lincoln and Mr. Tom Skerritt as Mr. Brendon Ahern. 139 minutes running time.