Hi John. Read your paper and re-read you paper on tidal triggering trying to digest as much of it as I could. It tasted good, so good that I got to thinking about how the recipe would work when applied to thrust faults.

To my way of thinking a thrust fault is in some ways like a subduction zone, except that a thrust fault is a land locked subduction zone. It’s not as big and can’t produce the same large quakes that can occur along a subduction zone but for the most part it works the same way.

Have you, or your colleagues looked at the possibility that some of these thrust quakes might be caused by tidal action? I’m not sure as to how far inland tidal actions would have an affect, but don’t think it would be too far inland. My thinking at present would be that the quake would most likely occur at extreme low tides. The reason being that the weight would be less on the up side, which in turn would give the fault some room to move. Of course that still doesn’t give us much of an idea as to when this movement will take place, but it is something to look at, or think about.

Okay. I know I should get a hobby or something as I spend too much time thinking about earthquakes and what makes them tick, but in as much as they scare the living hell out of me I thought would learn as much as I can about them. My father always told me that we fear something the most when we don’t understand it. That may, or may not be true. I have a pretty good understanding of earthquakes and how they work and the causes and what have you, but they still scare the hell out of me. Take Care…Don the nervous one