By Ray Hughey Scripps-McClatchy Western Service
VENTURA, Calif.
- The California Department of Conservation released four new
Seismic Hazard Zone maps Tuesday, including parts of the Thousand
Oaks, Moorpark and Simi Valley areas.
The maps will
help communities prepare for earthquakes and minimize damage,
said Darryl Young, director of the department.
Their release
also affects the real estate market because sellers are required
to tell buyers if a property is in a state-mapped seismic hazard
zone.
The maps pinpoint
areas likely to experience secondary earthquake damage such as
landslides and liquefaction.
Liquefaction
occurs when water-saturated sandy soil close to the ground surface
is shaken and temporarily acts like quicksand. That phenomenon
caused major damage in the King Harbor area of Redondo Beach during
the Northridge earthquake in 1994.
The Moorpark
map shows extensive liquefaction areas along the Arroyo Simi and
the Santa Clara River Valley. Landslide zones also are apparent
in the hilly areas.
The Thousand
Oaks map shows a liquefaction zone running along Conejo Creek.
Parts of highways 23 and 101 intersect that zone.
The new maps
also show liquefaction areas west and south of Simi Valley.
Moorpark City
Engineer Walter Brown said the new maps add to existing information
on susceptible areas. Professionals use the maps to determine
slope stability, non-building areas and measures that would allow
safe placement of buildings, he said.
Because of
the nature of the area's soil, liquefaction has been a consideration
for years in Moorpark, Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, said Westlake
Village engineering geologist Ron Shmerling.
Most of the
time, no extra measures are required, he said. Some areas end
up no-build zones; others might require a special design.
Mapping of
seismic hazards continues in other Southern California areas,
including Oxnard, Camarillo, Newbury Park, Point Mugu and Malibu
Beach.
Black-and-white
copies of the maps cost $12 each through the Department of Conservation's
Division of Mines and Geology in Los Angeles at (213) 239-0878.
On the Net:
www.consrv.ca.gov/
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