Hi All,

I think the 11 quake swarm in Baja is a pretty good sign that the Coastal Shove is still on and today those were added to with a 3.3 near the ocean at Santa Cruz and another 3 up in the Triple Junction. However, if we really want to have the "larger look" we should consider what has been happening in South America. It was as quiet as the west coast until the Indonesia quake and then it let go. In between we had the quakes in Equador, the flurry of events off shore of Los Angeles, the 5.5 off shore Mexico and back up to Baja again.

So something significant is going on, but as to how to appraise the situation I remain uncertain. I don't know what the driving force may be but I think we should appreciate that something has changed and anyone who lives on the Pacific Plate in California should expect anything at any time.

Our multi-year quiet spell has obviously changed to noisy now. Let us hope that those noises remain small, but we should prepare for moderate activity. Keep in mind you do need at least a minimum of 3 days water supply on hand, plenty of batteries, paper products and don't forget plastic bags. They are good for many things, including an instant John when the water stops running.

And the next time you hop in your car to drive to work take some time to actually see where you are going and imagine if you had to pull over to stop at any place along your route where this would be convenient and not. Consider if you had to, what alternate routes are available and put a mini-earthquake kit in your car.

I hope none of us will ever need it,

Petra

• The Seismic Safety Zone