Show Temblor or Danger Low Utah in-Utah in Utah Uta Dr Pa Pack k Bases Vi View w on Format Formations ions O v Coast Cause Tremors Giving Away of Earths Earth's Crust Declared Cause of Earthquakes ke That earthquakes will be prevalent preva preva- lent in the Pacific coast region for fora a long time to come come due to the rapid development of the district at atthe atthe atthe the present but that the Intermountain tam tain region particularly Utah will willin willin in all probability be free from from earth earth disturbances is is- the opinion of Dr Frederick J. J Pack noted geologist and head of the dep department of geology geol geol- ogy at t the e University of ot Utah hIan in hI inan inan an interview on the earthquake problem Satur Saturday Before the he cause of ot earthquakes was understood they were g generally looked upon as manifestation ot or divine disfavor he said The They are In reality in-reality reality however the mme mme- diate cause of of mountain building Everyone who has witnessed i the distortion of rock formations in the mountains must be Impressed with the fact that at some time or another another another an an- other the crust of the e earth rth must have undergone much deformation n. n Strata that were were originally in hori hori- positions positions' are now now- seen tobe tobe to be bent twisted and contorted in a great variety ol ot ways To the mind of the individual who has not studied this matt matter r these strata are thought to have been twisted and otherwise disturbed disturbed dis dl dis- dis by some gigantic more mora orless orless or less instantaneous cataclysm This Interpretation is quite contrary to to fact Earth processes proceed with unusual slowness especially when viewed from the standpoint of ot trio tho human lifetime The Wasatch mountains for instance which show a great variety of ot deformation deform deform- tion were several million years n course of ot d development LO LONG JG PERIODS BETWEEN Originally the earth possessed no mountains but as eons of time passed the various rang ranges s now pr present present pres pres- sent s- s ent successively came into exist exist- ence The oldest range on the American continent Is the Lauren m- m tian of eastern Canada followed In order of age by the Ozarks of ot Missouri Missouri Mis Mis- the Appalachian of ot eastern United States the Sierras of California California Cali Call fornia the Wasatch and Rocky mountains of Utah and Colorado and lastly the coast range of or south em ern California Each one of these those regions during the time that mountains mountains moun moun- were in course o of lifting wez were scenes of much I The pr process ess of uplifting is An nn ex slow one one When the stress becomes sufficiently great to fracture fracture frac frac- ture tune rocks an earthquake results Earthquakes are Usually separated by relatively long periods period of qui quis qui's ssan s- s san sance e during which the earth forces fores are accumulating which result in disturbances necessary Necessarily ily earthquakes are the most violent and most numerous during periods of most rapid mountain growth The coast range of California is at present undergoing rapid di devel l- l Therefore earthquake wil wll wilbe be abundant in that region for long times to come It has b been en known to geologists and seismologists for fer some time that an earthquake was WA imminent in southern California t. t J By y means of ot careful Jt it t thas has been determined that the he wes wet west t coast of ot California Is gradually moving toward the north Therefore Therefore There There- fore it followed that sooner or later the crust would be strained to such an extent that it would break and an earthquake would result Unfortunately Unfortunately Unfortunately Un Un- fortunately we are not prepared to state that disturbances in that legion region region re- re gion will cease with the present dis aster After Atter a period of ce other disturbances will undoubtedly recur in the not distant future DANGER NEGATIVE We Ve have been asked on numerous numerous numer numer- I ous occasions whether the Wasatch mountains of Utah are likely to give rise to seismic activity In general the question can be answered In Inthe inthe inthe the negative The Wasatch range as noted above is much older than the coast range of ot California Its Ita growth is practically completed Therefore earthquakes if they oc occur occur occur oc- oc cur at all will be doubtless very gentle and far between It may be of course that during the last stages of growth In any range slight activity activity ac- ac I may be manifest The people I of Utah however Salt Lake City in particular may regard themselves s sas as practically immune from disturbances dis dIs- clis- clis t of this nature The same thing is true of the major part of the eastern crust rust area areaS The second second- ca cause caise se of ot earthquakes Is volcanic activity Earthquakes ire are re usually abundant abundant or in pr proximity ity to volcanoes as s for example in iii southern Italy and Mexico Earthquakes Earthquakes Earthquakes Earth Earth- Earth Earth- quakes o of this origin are not al always always al- al ways wars restricted to the periods of actual volcanic eruption or even to active volcanoes Frequently earthquakes earthquakes earth earth- quakes occur in such areas areas' after volcanoes have apparently become extinct It Is easy to understand that tremendous explosions such as those attending an eruption of ofa a a volcano may give rise to violent e earth rth trem tremors rs The causes J of f the he disturbances after volcanoes have become extinct af are somewhat t more moru obscure but are believed to tob to be du duto to underground migrations of masses o of lava and the consequent disturbance which they have adjacent strata PARK ACTIVE AREA Yellowstone e national park parl Is composed almost exclusively or aol iol- 01 masses of volcanic lava laya Within recent geological times time this area rea co comprised one of the most vI- vI lent volcanic regions of ot the world word The hot wat water r of the park park arlie arises from the hot rocks solid which ar are situated only a sport short distance bEneath be beneath beneath bE be- neath the surface In general the recent earth disturbances of ot Montana Montana Mon Mon- tan tana a were probably connected with this area of recent volcanic vio yio- io lence hence Its origin was somewhat unlike that of the Santa Barbara district of California The simultaneous occurrence of earthquakes In different parts n of the world has been regarded by some people as proof that the tIme two are genetically connected The fact seems to be be however that the oc occurrence occurrence oc- oc currence Is more a matter of f coin coIn- In a great maj majority rIt of ot cases earthquakes occur J rather than in a number of ot places Therefore I see very little relationship relationship relation relation- ship between the Montana and the California disturbances |