Hello Everyone,

With Don's unexpected visit today and the absense of rain we thought we would head north and see if we could find a surface trace on the Rodgers Creek Fault where the twin quakes of October 1969 originated.

Don did some research several weeks ago and knew a hospital sat right on top of the fault and sure enough, Sutter Medical Center is there, but not only the hospital, almost every square inch of the area where the fault lies there are home and/or apartments as far as you can see. Whatever trace of the fault that was there, it has been obliterated now.

As the crow flies this area is about 3/4 of a mile to one mile from the fault scarp we located about a month ago. As this is a deep gouge in the side of a hill, there never will be any building on top of it, thank goodness.

So, little do the residents of Santa Rosa who sit right on top of the old epicenter realize that one day, maybe not so far into the future, what seems solid and firm today will be anything but.

It remains a mystery to me and many I am certain as to why they build hospitals right on top of faults. Today we saw Sutter Hospital on top of it and Kaiser's hospital is about a mile away. In the East Bay it is the same, for every major fault a whole string of hospitals sit right on top of them. Why is this? All good faults deserve hospitals as markers?

Well, at least construction has not taken place at the southern end of the Rodgers Creek Fault to date. Not much is there except the occasional farmhouse or barn. Good thing to, because when that segment let's loose, the whole northbay is gonna shake like a bowl of jello.

It was good to get out of the house after such a wild storm last night. It rained buckets for hours with a constant southerly wind. I was more than thankful the electricity stayed on, cable was good, but it was doubtful here and then when the lights got dim. Another set of storms are due for the weekend. A good time for making Fantasy Fudge, having a fire in the fireplace and getting out the Christmas decorations.

Petra & Don