Five things to know about earthquake faults

Five things to know about earthquake faults — The 6.0-earthquake that damaged buildings and left scores of people injured in California's wine country was the largest temblor to hit the San Francisco Bay Area since the 6.9-magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.

Loma Prieta occurred on the extremely active San Andreas Fault. Seismologists say Sunday's quake near Napa occurred on the lesser-known West Napa Fault, which has not been well-mapped.

"If you had put a bunch of seismologists and geologists together in a room and asked them where the next magnitude-6.0 quake would occur in the Bay Area, this would likely be the fifth fault they would name or the sixth," said Jack Boatwright, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "The amount we don't know is overwhelming."

Here are five things to know about faults in California:

WHAT ARE FAULTS?

— Faults are fractures between two blocks of rock that form the Earth's crust. A big earthquake can result when the blocks move. But faults can be difficult to discover when there is nothing on the surface such as visible fissures to indicate their presence. At least part of the West Napa Fault falls into this category, according to Boatwright. An earthquake such as the temblor that struck Sunday can help scientists spot and study faults. The speed at which one side of the fault slides past the other determines earthquake activity. The fastest moving faults have more and larger earthquakes.

An earthquake damaged home sits on officers row on Mare Island, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014, in Vallejo, Calif. Most of the historic row homes had fallen chimneys and were sealed off. The historic blue-collar town of Vallejo is a short distance but a far cry from the touristy Napa Valley's vineyards and quaint towns, but when Sunday's big earthquake struck, it was not spared. It was the latest blow to a town that has weathered years of bankruptcy and is now beset by gangs and crime. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

— There are several hundred known faults in the state and others that are not known, said Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the USGS. About 200 are considered potentially hazardous, according to the state Department of Conservation.

WHAT IS AN ACTIVE FAULT?

— Scientists consider an active fault to be one that has ruptured in the past 11,000 years, Jones said. The San Andreas is extremely active and produces a big earthquake every 100 to 200 years. It is blamed for the 1906 quake that led to devastating fires in San Francisco and leveled much of the city.

HAS THE WEST NAPA FAULT PRODUCED OTHER SIGNIFICANT QUAKES?

— A magnitude-5.0 earthquake that also caused damage occurred in the Napa area in 2000.

DO QUAKES RELIEVE PRESSURE ON FAULTS?

— Yes, but the pressure can be distributed to other parts of the fault, which can then produce other quakes. So Sunday's temblor does not mean the West Napa Fault, which is thought to stretch about 20 miles, won't see another quake of some significance. There are not enough small quakes to adequately relieve pressure and prevent big ones, Boatwright said. ( Associated Press )

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Race to save survivors screaming in the rubble: Death toll in Primark factory disaster rises to 161 as Bangladeshis queue to identify bodies

Race to save survivors screaming in the rubble: Death toll in Primark factory disaster rises to 161 as Bangladeshis queue to identify bodies - Around 2,000 people have been pulled from the building which collapsed without warning yesterday morning 

Police said factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning after crack was detected on Tuesday 

Workers tell how they were threatened with the sack if they refused to go work after seeing the cracks 

Charges of criminal negligence have been filed against the building's owner 

Rescue workers continued to hunt for survivors today in the collapsed factory building in Bangladesh where a range of companies made clothes for familiar High Street brands.

About 2,000 people have so far been rescued from the wrecked eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Savar on the outskirts of Dhakar, authorities said. The death toll has so far reached 161.

The building which housed a number of garment factories employing hundreds of people making clothes for the likes of Primark and Matalan came crashing down yesterday morning.

Rising death toll: A rescue worker comforts a survivor pulled from the rubble of the collapsed Rana Plaza building, in Savar, 19 miles outside Dhaka, this morning

Medical emergency: About 2,000 people have so far been rescued from the wrecked eight-storey building and the death toll has so far reached 161

In pain: Many of those working in the building were young women, while some of those killed and injured are bound to be children as the building also housed a crèche

Workers trapped in the wreckage could be heard crying out for help as firefighters and soldiers using drilling machines and cranes struggled to reach them. 

Many of those working in the building at the time were young women, while some of those killed and injured are bound to be children as the building also housed a crèche.

Doctors at local hospitals said they were unable to cope with the number of victims arriving from the disaster site.

Sumi, a 25-year-old worker who goes by one name, said she was sewing jeans on the fifth floor with at least 400 others when the building fell.

'It collapsed all of a sudden,' she said. 'No shaking, no indication. It just collapsed on us.' She said she managed to reach a hole in the building where rescuers pulled her out.

The price of cheap clothes? The building which housed a number of garment factories employing hundreds of people making clothes for the likes of Primark and Matalan came crashing down yesterday morning

Bravery: Firefighters clamber into the collapsed structure as they desperately try to locate and rescue those still trapped inside

Tragedy: At least one worker in the building, which had developed cracks prior to the collapse, has told how they were threatened with the sack if they didn't get to work yesterday morning

A relative of a garment worker checks a body being taken from the site as she searches for her relative: Bangladesh is an important supplier of clothes for cheap - and not-so-cheap - High Street brands

Women mourn for relatives trapped inside the collapsed building: Tens of thousands of people rushed to the site, weeping and desperately searching for family members

A woman cries for her relative who has been pulled dead from the wreckage: The disaster has reignited questions about often lethal conditions in the country's clothing industry

People mourn in front of the remains of their relatives who died inside the rubble: Authorities said the building had violated construction codes with three more floors than permitted

A relative holds a picture of a garment worker who is missing as others file past bodies: Police and the government's Capital Development Authority have filed cases of negligence against the building owner

The disaster has reignited questions about often lethal conditions in the country's clothing industry, which is an important supplier of clothes for cheap - and not-so-cheap - High Street brands. 

It came less than five months after a factory fire killed 112 people and underscored the unsafe conditions faced by Bangladesh's garment workers.

Workers said they hesitated to enter the building yesterday because it had developed such large cracks a day earlier that it even drew the attention of local news channels. 

They were encouraged to get to work by factory managers. Hours later it collapsed.

Tens of thousands of people rushed to the site, weeping and desperately searching for family members. Rescuers made use of the huge rolls of fabric kept at the site as makeshift escape chutes. 

They worked through the night to get through the jumbled mess of concrete with drills or their bare hands, passing water and torches to those who remained pinned inside the building.

Escape: Rescuers used massive strips of cloth as escape chutes from the textile factories to help the workers escape the devastation after the eight-storey building collapsed in Bangladesh 

Destroyed: The building housed several garment factories and collapsed near Bangladesh's capital yesterday, killing at least 149 people and trapping many more in the rubble

Business: Matalan also took orders from one of the factories in the building until two months ago

Rescue: Brig. Gen. Mohammed Siddiqul Alam Shikder said 149 people have been confirmed dead and another 600 survivors had been rescued

Terrifying: A distressed woman is seen going down the temporary escape - fire fighters and army personnel worked frantically through the morning at the Rana Plaza building in Savar

Grim: Rescue workers use clothes to bring down survivors and bodies after the collapse 

Abdur Rahim, who worked on the fifth floor, said a factory manager gave assurances that the cracks in the building were no cause for concern, so employees went inside.

'After about an hour or so, the building collapsed suddenly,' Mr Rahim said. The next thing he remembers is regaining consciousness outside.

Survivor Shaheena Akhter, 23, said: 'Some of us did not want to work fearing something might happen, but the garment factory people told us that we had to join our work otherwise we will lose our jobs.'

Bangladeshi home minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir told reporters on a visit to the site that the building had violated construction codes and that 'the culprits would be punished'

Abdul Halim, an official with the engineering department in Savar, said the owner was originally allowed to construct a five-storey building but he added another three stories illegally.

Local police chief Mohammed Asaduzzaman said police and the government's Capital Development Authority have filed separate cases of negligence against the building owner.

Habibur Rahman, police superintendent of Dhaka district, identified the owner as Mohammed Sohel Rana, a local leader of ruling Awami League's youth front. Mr Rahman said police were also looking for the owners of the garment factories.

Escape: Bangladeshi garment workers use lengths of material to evacuate from the rubble 

Safety: Buildings in the crowded city of Dhaka are sometimes erected without permission and many do not comply with construction regulations. Dozens died when a garment factory collapsed in the same area eight years ago

'It looks like an earthquake has struck here,' said one resident as he looked on at the chaotic scene of smashed concrete 

Collapse: The building near Bangladesh's capital housed several garment factories and was likely to be packed 

Medical help: A garment worker who was trapped under the rubble is carried to safety by a rescuer 

Punish: Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir told reporters during a visit to the site that the building had violated construction codes and 'the culprits would be punished'

Among the textile businesses in the building were Phantom Apparels, New Wave Style, New Wave Bottoms and New Wave Brothers. 

According to its website, the New Wave companies make clothing for major brands including U.S. retailers The Children's Place and Dress Barn, Britain's Primark, Spain's Mango and Italy's Benetton.

Mango and Benetton denied any links to the building's factories, but Primark confirmed that one of the suppliers it uses to produce some of its goods was located on the second floor.

The firm said it was 'shocked and deeply saddened by the appalling incident'.

It added that it has been working with other retailers to review the country's approach to factory standards and will push for this review to include building integrity.

Primark's ethical trade team is working to collect information, assess which communities the workers come from and provide support 'where possible', the company said.

Race against time: Firefighters and soldiers using drilling machines and cranes worked together with local volunteers in the search for other survivors from the building, which pancaked onto itself and stood only about two stories tall

The collapse stirred memories of a fatal fire in a garment factory in November that killed 112 people and raised an outcry about safety in the nation's garment industry

Packed: The collapse happened about 8:30 a.m. and since garment factories in the area routinely work 24 hours a day, it appeared likely that the four housed in the building were staffed at the time

Search: Tens of thousands of people gathered at the site, some of them weeping survivors, some searching for family members

Risky: Hundreds of people could be seen clambering around the unsafe site in a desperate bid to find survivors yesterday morning

Devastated: A woman cries on the site of the damaged building as she watches the rescue operation 

Business: The country has about 4,000 garment factories and exports clothes to leading Western retailers. The industry wields vast power in the South Asian nation

Anxious wait: Relative and friends arrived at the site holding pictures of missing garment workers in an attempt to locate them 

Anxious wait: It is not clear what caused the collapse but local media reports said a crack was detected in the block on Tuesday

Concern: People mourn for their relatives, who are trapped inside the rubble - thousands of people descended on the site

Charles Kernaghan, executive director of the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, which has an office in Dhaka, says his staff are investigating. 

He hopes his team, working with local workers' groups, will be able to find out which brands were having their products made at the time of the collapse.

'You can't trust many buildings in Bangladesh,' Mr Kernaghan said. 'It's so corrupt that you can buy off anybody and there won't be any retribution.' ( dailymail.co.uk )

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China Quake: Over 11,000 People Injured

China Quake: Over 11,000 People Injured - The death toll in the Chinese earthquake is expected to rise above 200 today as rescuers find more bodies under rubble.

More than 11,000 people are confirmed to have been injured after the earthquake struck China's Sichuan province.

Chinese news agency Xinhua said the quake, measured at varying magnitudes between 6.6 and 7.0, struck at 8.02am local time on Saturday close to the city of Ya'an in Lushan county.

The epicentre had a depth of a little less than eight miles (13km).

The quake triggered landslides and destroyed buildings. A major rescue operation involving emergency services and more than 6,000 troops has worked through the night to reach trapped people in various communities across the region.

The rescue effort is understood to have been hampered by aftershocks. Some of the tremors that followed the main quake have been almost as strong.

According to local media reports, a vehicle carrying 17 soldiers fell off a cliff and into a river as it travelled to the epicentre. One soldier was killed and seven more injured, three seriously.

But extraordinary stories of survival are already emerging. According to one local media report, a mother managed to lift concrete weighing 50kg to rescue her son from the rubble.

Another report described how a woman gave birth at a bike shelter just a few hours after the quake hit.

And remarkable TV footage from one collapsed building shows rescue workers pulling a tiny baby alive from the rubble. The child's mother was also saved.

Tremors were felt in neighbouring provinces and in the provincial capital city of Chengdu. Users of Weibo, China's microblogging service, have posted images of damaged buildings and described scenes of panic as residents rushed outside.

Local seismologists registered the quake at magnitude 7.0 while the US Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.6.

The USGS said "significant" casualties were likely and "extensive damage is probable and disaster is likely widespread."

A Chinese general, flying over the region in a helicopter, told local media that as many as 50% of buildings in one area had collapsed.

China's new Premier Li Keqiang has visited the region to survey the damage.

The quake is the first big test for the new Chinese leadership. Their ability to respond to it is likely to be scrutinised on an ever growing social media forum.

The epicentre is close to the location of the 2008 earthquake which killed 68,000 people. That quake had a greater magnitude of 7.9 but its epicentre was further underground.

The 2008 disaster destroyed large swathes of the province along with areas of neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu. The government faced significant criticism for allowing badly constructed buildings to be erected and for covering up their failings.

This time, early indications suggest a much better level of preparedness.

Cai Jing, the Deputy Secretary-General of Sichuan's Provincial Government, attempted to reassure people at a late news conference last night.

"The main road sections in Lushan County have been reopened," he said.

"Hospitals in the province are ready to receive and transport the injured. A total of 28,971 rescuers from 95 professional rescue teams with 933 sets of equipment have been dispatched," he told reporters at the briefing in Chengdu City.

"At present, about 13,466 rescuers have arrived at the epicentre and 2,058 others are heading to the area. In addition, 13,547 rescuers are put on standby."

Better technology is also helping the authorities. For the first time, unmanned drones are being used over the disaster zone to send back pictures and assess damage.

But new technology is also putting increased pressure on the authorities. This is the first natural disaster in China in the "Weibo era". The Twitter-like social media phenomenon has allowed "netizens" to openly criticise the government for failings.

International offers of assistance have already been received.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague sent the condolences of the nation.

"My thoughts are also with the Chinese authorities and the emergency services as they continue their rescue efforts. We are in contact with local authorities through our Consulate-General in Chongqing and will continue to follow the situation closely," he said.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin sent China's President Xi Jinping a telegram expressing his condolences and offering help. ( Sky News )

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Earthquake kills 157, injures 5,700 in China's Sichuan

Earthquake kills 157, injures 5,700 in China's Sichuan - China's worst earthquake in three years on Saturday killed at least 157 people and injured more than 5,700, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

The magnitude 6.6 quake hit a remote mountainous area of southwestern China's Sichuan province at 8:02 a.m. (0002 GMT), close to where an earthquake killed almost 70,000 people in 2008.

The quake struck in Lushan county, near the city of Ya'an, at a depth of 12 km (7.5 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was felt in the provincial capital, Chengdu, and in neighbouring provinces, causing many people to rush out of buildings, according to social network posts.

Reuters/Reuters - China's Premier Li Keqiang (C) visits after a strong earthquake hits Lushan county, Ya'an, Sichuan province, April 20, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer

Most of the deaths were concentrated in Lushan. Pictures on Chinese news sites showed toppled buildings and people in bloodied bandages being treated in tents outside the hospital. Water and electricity in the area were cut off by the quake.

Premier Li Keqiang flew into the disaster zone by helicopter to voice support for the rescue operation.

"The first 72 hours is the golden period for rescue," Li told officials, the Xinhua news agency reported. "We cannot delay by a minute."

"Under the strong leadership of the party and the government, as long as we unite as one, and conduct the rescue in a scientific way, then there will be the conditions and the ability to minimise the losses to the greatest degree and to overcome the disaster," Li said.

Chen Yong, the vice director of the Ya'an city government earthquake response office, told reporters: "We believe the number (of deaths) could rise somewhat, but it won't rise by much."

Xinhua said 6,000 troops were in the area to help with rescue efforts. State television CCTV said only emergency vehicles were being allowed into Ya'an, although Chengdu airport had reopened.

Rescuers in Lushan had pulled 91 survivors out of rubble, Xinhua said. In villages closest to the epicentre, almost all low-rise buildings had collapsed, footage on state television showed.

"We are very busy right now, there are about eight or nine injured people, the doctors are handling the cases," said a doctor at a Ya'an hospital who gave her family name as Liu.

The hospital was treating head and leg injuries, she said.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was in discussions with the Red Cross Society of China on whether international support was needed.

LANDSLIDE WARNING

The China Meteorological Association warned of the possibility of landslides in Lushan county on Saturday and Sunday.

Lushan recorded 789 aftershocks after the earthquake, the China Earthquake Administration said.

A resident in Chengdu, 140 km (85 miles) from Ya'an city, told Xinhua he was on the 13th floor of a building when he felt the quake. The building shook for about 20 seconds and he saw tiles fall from nearby buildings.

Ya'an is a city of 1.5 million people and is considered one of the birthplaces of Chinese tea culture. It is also the home to one of China's main centres for protecting the giant panda.

"There are still shakes and tremors and our area is safe. The pandas are safe," said a spokesman for Ya'an's Bifengxia nature park which houses more than 100 pandas.

Shouts and screams were heard in the background while Reuters was on the telephone with the spokesman.

"There was just an aftershock, an aftershock, our office is safe," he said.

Sichuan is one of the four major natural gas-producing provinces in China, and its output accounts for about 14 percent of the nation's total.

Sinopec Group, Asia's largest oil refiner, said its huge Puguang gas field was unaffected.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially put the magnitude at 7, but later revised it down. The devastating May 2008 quake was magnitude 7.9.

In 2010, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed 2,700 people in Yushu, a largely Tibetan region in northwest China. ( Reuters )

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Sichuan Earthquake Kills At Least 179

Sichuan Earthquake Kills At Least 179 - At least 179 people are believed to have been killed and more than 6,700 injured after an earthquake struck China's province of Sichuan.

Chinese news agency Xinhua said the quake, measured at varying magnitudes between 6.6 and 7.0, struck at 8.02am local time close to the city of Ya'an in Lushan county and the epicentre had a depth of a little less than eight miles (13km).

It started landslides, destroyed buildings, and triggered a major rescue operation involving emergency services and more than 2,000 troops.

Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds more injured in a series of strong earthquakes in China's Sichuan province. Sky's Mark Stone reports

The rescue effort is understood to have been hampered by aftershocks and landslides. Some of the tremors which followed the main quake have been almost as strong.

According to local media reports, a vehicle carrying 17 soldiers fell off a cliff and into a river as it travelled to the epicentre. One soldier was killed and seven more injured, three seriously.

But extraordinary stories of survival are already emerging. According to one local media report, a mother managed to lift concrete weighing 50kg to rescue her son from the rubble.

Another report described how a woman gave birth at a bike shelter just a few hours after the quake hit. 

According to the People's Daily newspaper, fire-fighters dug out a mother holding her baby in her arms from the rubble. She survived, but her baby sadly died.

Tremors have been felt in neighbouring provinces and in the provincial capital city of Chengdu. Users of Weibo, China's microblogging service, have posted images of damaged buildings and described scenes of panic as residents rushed outside.

A resident in Chengdu said he was on the 13th floor of a building when he felt the quake. The building shook for about 20 seconds and he saw tiles fall from nearby buildings.

Local seismologists registered the quake at magnitude 7.0 while the US Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.6.

The USGS said "significant" casualties were likely and "extensive damage is probable and disaster is likely widespread".

"Past events with this alert level have required a national or international-level response," it added.

A Chinese General, flying over one area in a helicopter, told local media that as many as 50 percent of buildings in one area had collapsed.

China's new Premiere Li Keqiang is flying to the region to survey the damage. The quake is the first big test for the new Chinese leadership. Their ability to respond to it is likely to be scrutinised on an ever growing social media forum.

The epicentre is close to the location of the 2008 earthquake which killed 68,000 people. That quake had a greater magnitude of 7.9 but its epicentre was further underground.

The 2008 disaster destroyed large swathes of the province along with areas of neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu. The government faced significant criticism for allowing badly constructed buildings to be erected and for covering up their failings.

International offers of assistance have already been received.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague sent the condolences of the nation.

Mr Hague said: "Today's events will no doubt bring back terrible memories of the catastrophic earthquake in the same province in 2008.

"My thoughts are also with the Chinese authorities and the emergency services as they continue their rescue efforts. We are in contact with local authorities through our Consulate-General in Chongqing and will continue to follow the situation closely." 

The Russian President Vladimir Putin sent China’s President Xi Jinping a telegram expressing his condolences and offering help.

Twin tremors in neighbouring Yunnan province last September triggered landslides that left at least 80 people dead.

A 5.5 magnitude quake in Yunnan last June killed four people and injured more than 100.

Another 5.4 tremor the year before near the border with Burma left 25 people dead and injured 250. ( Sky News )

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