Chapter 176

Chapter 176

California is the richest state in the United States.

But behind the splendor was the fear of earthquakes. The San Andreas Fault, located at the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates, was a potential threat that could cause a major earthquake at any time.

The Californians called the earthquake, which had not yet come, and might one day come, the Big One.

And in front of me was a seismologist who claimed that the Big One would come within this year.

Age is about mid 60’s.

He was short for a white man. He had a chubby body, a belly, and white hair, and a beard and mustache were white.

He wore thick horn-rimmed glasses and suspenders. My first impression was that of a kind old professor.

“Nice to meet you. I am Dr. Keyran Mohan.”

In the Western world, titles such as degrees are very important, so it is polite to give them their names whenever possible.

“Nice to meet you. This is Jinhoo Kang.”

You know me well, so I don’t need to talk much.

Taek-gyu also bowed his head.

“This is Taek-gyu Oh, my friend. Take good care of me.”

The black woman who guided us here is Professor Mohan’s assistant, Carrie Katwright. He looked about the same age as me or a little older.

She asked me, putting on her glasses.

“Did you come here for research support?”

Professor Mohan said, pretending to be restrained.

“Hmm, well, I’ve already talked about that… … Let’s discuss the matter slowly. Since guests are here, please bring coffee first.”

“Okay, Professor.”

Carrie quickly went to get a coffee, and we were seated.

I looked around the lab. On one wall was a large map, several red dots, and dozens of post-it notes. Perhaps it marked the places where the earthquake occurred.

And on the other side, dozens of boxes were stacked up to the ceiling. Through the open box, I saw a cover that looked like a book I was holding in my hand.

Looks like it hasn’t been sold in a while.

After a while, Carrie brought coffee. It had been on the hot plate for a long time, so there was no smell and only a bitter taste.

After one sip, I can’t drink any more. But Professor Mohan looked familiar.

“You must be busy with work, what did you come here for?”

“There is something I want to ask the professor.”

I didn’t find him because he was the most famous and trusted scholar in seismology. Rather, it was the opposite.

Professor Mohan was nothing more than a heretic in the academic world.

Contrary to the opinion of mainstream scholars, he has long argued that the Big One will come to San Francisco, and that it will be this year.

But this year is already half over, and what he said hasn’t happened yet. Although marine earthquakes have become more frequent in recent years, the majority opinion is that it is difficult to see them as a harbinger of a major earthquake.

Nevertheless, Professor Mohan did not give up his argument.

Some even nicknamed him the Indian for the meaning of his ridicule.

When Indians celebrate rain, it always rains. Because the rain continues until it rains.

In a word, it is similar to Indians in repeating false claims until they are made.

Although Professor Mohan may be ignored and treated as a geek in academia, he is a professor of geology at the California Institute of Technology.

At other universities, it may be possible to get a professorship with money and personal connections without skills, but at Caltech, it is not unheard of.

It’s because they can’t even teach students with their skills.

I put the book on the desk.

“I read the book you wrote all night.”

Professor Mohan said I liked it, so I didn’t know what to do.

“Haha, now that I read the book, you must have become my fan!”

He took a pen out of his pocket. He signed the first page of the book as if he didn’t ask for it.

Now I can’t even return it.

“Then why did you become interested in this field?”

That’s because I saw the foresight… … .

Since it was an expected question, I gave the answer I had prepared.

“The last time I had an earthquake at the airport, I thought it might be dangerous. As you may know, there are many OTK Company subsidiaries in Silicon Valley, including Karos Labs.”

Professor Mohan nodded his head.

“Right. With the business there, it’s natural to be concerned. As you know, Caltech boasts the world’s best seismic research. When it comes to seismology, MIT is no match.”

His pride was evident in his facial expression and tone of voice.

And it is worthy of such pride. The California Institute of Technology has a world-renowned Center for Seismology. Charles Richter, who made the Richter used for seismic measurements, also served as a professor here.

“In the book, you said that a super-massive earthquake that surpassed the Great East Japan Earthquake could strike San Francisco, do you still think the same?”

Professor Mohan nodded his head.

“Of course. The Big One is sure to come, and sooner than you think.”

That’s the answer I want.

Just by hearing this answer, the purpose of coming here was accomplished.

“If the Big One comes to San Francisco, can you stand it?”

“San Francisco is an earthquake-prone area, and it has had several major earthquakes in the past. Therefore, most high-rise buildings are designed to withstand earthquakes. But even then, if the ground cracks or liquefaction occurs, it will inevitably collapse.”

Professor Mohan put the book upright. Then he said, pressing his hand against the top of him.

“High-rise buildings are strong against vertical forces. However… … .”

This time, I tapped the side. The book, which had been leaning slightly, fell over in an instant.

“As you can see, it is very weak against horizontal forces. If the ground cracks or collapses and the central axis shifts a little to the side, it will collapse in an instant.”

Taek-gyu rubbed his eyes and asked.

“Isn’t it okay if the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans?

“It is a very unusual case. In the first place, the tower was built by moving the central axis due to the tilting wind during construction. If it had tilted that much from its original state, it would have collapsed sooner.”

Professor Mohan continued.

“Since the 20th century, the number of earthquakes greater than 9.0 can be counted on a finger. The most recent one was the Great East Japan Earthquake. I think Big One is probably more powerful than that.”

I remembered the crossroads I had seen.

“If the Big One comes, which region will suffer the most?”

“It would be better to explain that with a map.”

Professor Mohan roughly cleared his desk and spread a large map on it. The map marked fault lines along with California and the West Coast.

“Given the shape of the San Andreas Fault and the recent earthquakes, it is most likely southern San Francisco. Maybe this is it.”

The place he marked was Redwood City, right next to Palo Alto. Then he drew several concentric circles around it.

“The inside of the small circle will be completely destroyed, and the surroundings will not be safe either.”

San Francisco and Oakland at the top and the San Jose area at the bottom are in a circle. In short, the entire San Francisco Bay was covered.

“How many casualties will there be?”

Professor Mohan thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“The population of San Francisco is close to one million, and if you include the San Francisco Bay area, the permanent population alone is in the millions. Besides, the area is always overcrowded with tourists and business people. Perhaps at least hundreds of thousands of people… … Maybe a million people.”

Taehyung shouted in surprise.

“Ugh! A million?”

Even though I had just guessed it from the book, it was equally shocking.

During the Great East Japan Earthquake, about 20,000 people were killed, including the dead and missing. For Japan, it was the worst disaster since World War II.

It’s a pity that it happened in the Tohoku region, but if a similar earthquake occurred in the Tokai region, where Tokyo is within the sphere of influence, Japan might be in a state of irreversibility.

So what about San Francisco?

California is the largest state in the United States in terms of population and economic power. The GDP of a single state ranks fifth in the world, surpassing that of the United Kingdom and France.

Among them, San Francisco and Silicon Valley are home to some of the world’s richest and most talented people.

The population of the United States is approximately 330 million.

To put it bluntly, even if a million people die, that’s only 0.3 percent of the US population. The problem, however, is that those 1 million are the key personnel leading the US.

The central axis of the United States can be broadly viewed in three places.

Washington D.C., the capital, is the political center, New York’s Manhattan with Wall Street is the financial center, and the Silicon Valley area of ​​California is the industrial center.

Silicon Valley is home to the research centers and headquarters of many global companies as well as American companies.(Read more @ wuxiax.com)

Nplay, Facenote, Microsoft, Gubble, AMZ, Seagate, Hewlett-Packard, AMD, Nvidia, Intel, Micron, Netplay, etc.

Korean companies are no exception. Seosung Electronics, CL Electronics, and SSKnicks also have research centers in this area.

But what if the buildings in which those companies are located collapse and the people who work there die?

Professor Mohan looked at us and said.

“The economic, social and political damage the United States will inflict will be beyond imagination. Perhaps we will lose our hegemony status.”

Empires have always existed in human history.

After World War II, the United States became the center of the world, ushering in the era of Pax Americana. It is no exaggeration to say that the peace and prosperity that mankind currently enjoys is being achieved under the order created by the United States.

If such a United States collapses with fatal wounds… … .

“There is no way China or Russia will keep an eye on the situation.”

I felt a cold sweat running down my back.

I expected it to some extent, but this is more than that.

Professor Mohan smiled bitterly.

“Of course, this is an extreme assumption. I also just hope this doesn’t happen. But we need to think about the consequences of the accident at Chernobyl.”

At one time, the Soviet Union was a superpower that divided the world along with the United States.

The cause of the collapse of the Soviet Union was none other than the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Of course, without that accident, the Soviet Union would have collapsed. But it is undeniable that it was the final blow.

Even if you break your arm in an accident, if you treat it well and rehabilitate it hard, you can become healthier than before. But if your arm is amputated, it’s a treatment and a rehabilitation, meaning nothing.

You have to live the rest of your life with only one arm.

So, which side is this earthquake?

If what I have seen is correct, the entire Silicon Valley area would be completely devastated. The ground cracks and buildings collapse. I haven’t seen it since, but maybe a tsunami is coming.

The good news is that Yeji is not a ‘California earthquake’ but a ‘San Francisco earthquake’.

Therefore, the impact of the earthquake is likely to be limited to San Francisco and its surroundings, not all of California.

That alone is terrifying enough, but it’s not entirely the worst. If LA and other large cities were included, the loss of life and property would not have been possible.

No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop earthquakes from happening. Fortunately, we have had time to prepare.

There are just over two months left until Big One arrives.

Until then, our fate, America’s fate depends on how we act… … And the fate of the world will be turned upside down.