Earthquake Hazards at the University of California, San Francisco: Ancient Building Infrastructures and the Rose Valley Fault

The threat of massive damage to San Diego’s infrastructure has prompted stricter building regulations. Drawing on the Alquist-Priolo Act, the California Geological Survey defines areas of development expected to be implemented by summer 2021. New measures may require developers to provide evidence that new structures are at a safe distance from fault.

How does this affect UCSF?

At the University of California, San Diego, more than half of campus buildings pose a “grave danger to life” in the event of an earthquake, according to NBC7 based on an internal California seismic safety survey conducted from 2017 to 2019.

For example, York Hall is rated sixth on a scale from I to VII, with a score of I indicating good condition and a score of VII indicating a danger so great that the building “must remain uninhabited in order to be upgraded”. The Geisel Library is rated V.

For those interested, an online database is available for searching building assessments at UCSD, UC Berkeley, UC Merced, UC Davis and UC Riverside campuses collected from the 2017-2019 Seismic Safety Survey. The pdf file for all initial classifications of UCSF buildings can be found here.

“I think the buildings on campus are really old, so in terms of earthquake preparedness, I honestly don’t know how prepared we are,” said Madhu Garimella, a student at Eleanor Roosevelt College. “I think there can be a lot of improvement in relation to that. […] Like Urey Hall is really old and Warren Lecture Hall is really old, and I feel like if there was an earthquake and I was in one of those buildings, I don’t necessarily know how good that would be – I’d be very frightened. “

Another student, Nicholas Cerrito, a junior at John Muir College, thought about Jaremila’s fears.

Cirrito said: “For me, growing up in California, there was always a fear of a“ massive earthquake, ”so I’m not afraid of them. But I know UCSD’s infrastructure is not up-to-date in terms of earthquake safety, and I know that with so much expansion at the moment they might put that into the conversation mix, but I know a lot of old buildings – if something else happens, I wouldn’t want to be in it. ”

Although UCSF buildings were code-level when they were first built, the campus is aware of the danger posed by old infrastructures and has made efforts to modify buildings for added safety. The chances of an EERI-SD earthquake occurring between now and 2050 are 18 percent.

The three-stage initiative to evaluate each building on campus was scheduled to end on June 30, 2020.

Moreover, Leslie Sibuca, assistant director of communications in communications and public affairs at the university, expanded through email correspondence based on what initial assessments showed. UCLA seismic retrofit efforts focus on public sector buildings rather than private sector buildings (such as office buildings, shopping malls, etc.).

Sibuca wrote: “According to the September 2019 campus notice regarding the UC Seismic Safety Program, 519 buildings owned or occupied by UCSD were assessed.” Initial results determined that 230 of the buildings required further evaluation and that another 13 buildings were rated as high priority for correction. Since then, the university has evaluated additional buildings owned or operated by the university across the province, and has performed further analysis of previously assessed buildings. “

UCSD has more information available on the Seismic Safety Project webpage.

“UC San Diego, along with other UCS campuses, will alter, replace or evacuate all buildings with significant insufficient seismic performance no later than 2030,” the university says.

UCS efforts to ensure building safety expand beyond the Seismic Safety Project. In addition, UCSD also has the Green Building Program, which is led by the UCSD Offices of Design, Development and Capital Program Management.

The program is important because it is committed to the Green Building Rating System in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The design system aims to enhance safety and sustainability in buildings to help create a higher quality of living among communities. Part of this initiative includes building resilience in the event of natural disasters and weather events. In order to meet at least a silver level in the LEED rating system, earthquake-specific design measures need to be included.

The completed North Torrey Pines Living and Learning neighborhood is designed for LEED Platinum certification, according to contractor, Clark Construction. The learning and living district in the theater district, which is currently under construction, is seeking LEED Gold certification.

The Green Building Program on Campus page states that the campus has successfully completed and refurbished 38 buildings to comply with LEED standards as of July 2019. UCSF’s 2018 Long Term Development Plan estimated that the campus has over 630 buildings.

Some of the restored buildings include Galbraith Hall, Canyon Vista Marketplace, Price Center Expansion, and RIMAC Annex.

Potential influencing factors in California earthquakes

Aside from building updates like the Seismic Safety Program and the Green Building Program, Garimella is concerned about how buildings can withstand the harsh climate changes that are bound to happen as the climate crisis continues. She reversed her experience as a resident of Europe Hall when, along with other housing units, buildings and parking lots, it was flooded during a storm in 2019.

“I used to live on the first floor, so there were leaks falling from the top of the building all the way to the first floor,” said Jaremila. “So, I think this is something that also needs to be addressed in terms of how our buildings adapt to the times, especially given that more extreme weather events are likely to happen in the future just because of the nature of climate change, and that could also include earthquakes for sure.”

A 2009 study in Nature posits that the low atmospheric pressure associated with tropical cyclones could make it easier for imperfections in Earth’s crust to move around and mitigate accumulated stress. However, the last and only tropical cyclone to bring very strong winds to California was the San Diego Hurricane of Category 1 1858. While studying the link between climate and earthquakes is important, the interconnections between Earth’s systems make such a link difficult to quantify: scientists are not Close to gaining the ability to predict earthquakes based on climate events.

Another potential influencing factor for earthquakes in California is oil exploration. Oil field wastewater is known to increase the frequency of earthquakes: A recent 2019 study by Nature showed that this wastewater actually penetrates the Earth much deeper than originally thought, increasing the frequency of high-strength earthquakes. These “rock earthquakes” were mainly related to Oklahoma and Kansas; However, a University of California, Santa Cruz researcher linked a swarm of earthquakes in the Central Valley in 2005 with sewage disposal activity, although this is rare when compared to tectonic earthquakes.

In light of potential future earthquake scenarios, outdated infrastructures, and other potential concerts, it is important to remember: In the event of an earthquake, duck, cover, stay, and stay indoors.

For tips on earthquake preparedness, visit the University of California’s Guide to Earthquake Safety Practice and consider creating a disaster supply toolkit.

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