Travel Destinations an Earthquake Could Strike Next
A 2012 photo of a crack in the road from a magnitude-6.9 earthquake in central Philippines. (Photo: AP)
Earthquakes have been on a lot of minds lately following the tragic tremor in Nepal. Sadly, scientists have long predicted that Kathmandu was ripe for a disaster. In crowded, fast growing cities with limited resources and lax building codes, the warnings of scientists don’t always carry much weight.
The good news is that places with a good history of preparation, like Japan and California, are relatively safe when it comes to big quakes. That’s not to say they’re risk-free, but the same earthquake in California that kills dozens of people could kill thousands elsewhere.
The thing is, earthquakes don’t kill people. Things that fall over kill people. Longstanding regulation and preparation have kept recent disasters to a minimum in many developed countries. Elsewhere, the sheer speed with which many cities have grown, has made it difficult to keep building codes to a high standard. Lack of awareness, poverty and sometimes corruption also get in the way. The bad news, as it were, is that as cities boom, we’re likely to see more disasters in the future, not less.
Everyone wants to know where an destructive earthquake is most likely to hit. There are obvious places that come to mind: San Francisco, Los Angeles, anywhere in Japan, but some others may surprise you. Here are five that are worth some thought:
Tehran’s location and rapid growth could mean future disasters waiting to happen. (Photo: Michel Setboun/Corbis)
Tehran - Tehran may not be on your immediate travel itinerary but it’s a classic example of a modern megacity built fast, with uncertain standards right on the top of at least 3 major faults. The city has had a long history of deadly quakes and is hardly ignorant of the risk, but it’s tremendous population growth has meant lots of construction may slip past what regulation exists making it a future disaster waiting to happen.
Related: What To Do If You’re in an Earthquake
The fact that Mexico City has one terrible quake under its belt already might be reason enough to be cautious. (Photo: Thinkstock)
Mexico City - Many of us remember the terrible quake of 1985 which killed thousands of people in Mexico’s capital. Since then significant progress has been made to ensure new buildings are up to modern standards but even the finest building is bound to shake when it’s built on a foundation of former swampland. Much of Mexico City is still casually constructed and, sadly memories of 30 years ago do fade.
Related: Poof! Lake Disappears Into Underwater Lava Tube
Those minarets might be beautiful, but you’re not going to want to be anywhere near them during a quake. (Photo: Thinkstock)
Istanbul - Huge, fast growing, and on major fault lines. Does this recipe sound familiar? Tall stone minarets, as beautiful as they are, may not be the best things to be standing near when the ground starts to shake. Istanbul has been hit by quakes historically (most recently a 7.2 in 2011) and, despite rapid modernization, the sheer magnitude of what may lie in the future will be a force to be reckoned with.
Related: What to Do in a Disaster: Lessons Travelers Can Learn from the Nepal Earthquake
Earthquakes and potential landslides? No thanks. (Photo: Mark Windom/Stocksy)
Seattle - California is not the only place on the west coast that’s prone to shake. Seattle is expected to get rocked by a major quake sometime between tomorrow morning and 100 years from now (it could happen any time, really). Although it’s a modern city with good building standards, many roads and bridges were built before risks were well understood making them potentially dangerous. To top it off, many scientists fear a major quake could unleash tremendous landslides from Mt Rainier which could devastate surrounding areas.
Related: How to Survive Anything—From a Plane Crash to a Tsunami
If an earthquake hits Memphis, the whole city will be “all shook up.” (Photo: Thinkstock)
Memphis - Yes, you read that right. Several of the largest earthquakes in US history happened not in California but near New Madrid, MO just over 200 years ago. Technically the disaster was a quadruple one: four massive quakes of 7.0-8.1 rocked the area around New Year’s day 1812 with such force that the Mississippi river flowed backwards. Buildings fell as far away as St. Louis but the relatively low population at the time meant it was largely forgotten in popular culture. Fast forward to today with millions of people in the area living in homes with little or no seismic retrofitting and the risk is scary indeed.
Oklahoma – Until 2008, the state of Oklahoma only had about one or two earthquakes above a magnitude of 3.0 each year. These days the state is averaging two of 3.0 or higher each day. Scientists are saying that these “man-made” earthquakes could be the result of increased oil and gas production in the state. “In states and in oil fields where there is a lot of production, this water is re-injected, and it’s been done for years and years,” Bill Leith, senior science adviser for Earthquake and Geologic Hazards at U.S. Geological Survey told MSNBC. “But that changes the fluid balance in the geologic formation, and that’s what has potential of triggering earthquakes.” This map shows an overview of the Oklahoma earthquakes.
These tremors have become commonplace throughout most of the state, but it remains to be seen whether these quakes will increase in frequency or magnitude. Scientists have no way to tell when it might happen again, but we can say with certainty that it will… someday.
On a lighter note, none of this means we should be sleeping with helmets on or cancel our Turkish vacation. A little awareness at home and abroad will help keep you safe and and hopefully move others to upgrade safety measures in cities around the world.
WATCH: The Ancient Oasis Towns of Oman: An Explorer’s Dream
Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Check out our original adventure travel series A Broad Abroad.
