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Morning News

U.S. Geological Survey Chief Discusses Seattle Earthquake

Aired March 1, 2001 - 9:08 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And for more on the earthquake and the aftershock and the possibility of more tremors, we turn to the organization who is responsible for monitoring quakes around the world.

Waverly Person is chief of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center, and he is joining us from Golden, Colorado.

Mr. Person, good morning, good to see you.

WAVERLY PERSON, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: Good morning.

KAGAN: I was surprised to hear about an aftershock early this morning. I thought since this one was so deep under the earth, there probably wouldn't be aftershocks.

PERSON: No, we didn't say that at all. We said that, because of the depth of the earthquake, there would be much fewer aftershocks than there would be if it had been a shallow earthquake. And this is the only one that has been located so far, the magnitude 3.4, and that's classified as a minor earthquake. So we're looking for this to more or less continue: We'll have these smaller aftershocks, but there won't be as near as frequent as say that they were in Northridge in 1994, because that was a shall earthquake.

KAGAN: But meanwhile, folks in the Seattle area should expect more?

PERSON: Yes, I would say that they are going to feel some more. But we are saying and we think that the aftershocks are going to be small and not near as many as, say, that it would be in some area where the earthquake was much shallower.

KAGAN: I think a lot of folks were surprised to hear about an earthquake in Seattle, but I imagine you were not.

PERSON: No, no, we were not surprised, because you look what happened in 1949: There was a magnitude 7.1 there. Then they had had the one over in Seattle in 1965. So it's been talked about all the time, that the Northwest could have earthquakes. I think this kind of brings it home.

They're not near as frequent as they are California, as far as damaging earthquakes are concerned, but certainly, there's a history there.

KAGAN: I would imagine, in your business, you learn as you go. What have you been able to learned from this quake, so far?

PERSON: Yes, we do. So far, it is following the pattern that we have looked at for earthquakes of this type where they are -- the different plate, the Juan de Fuca plate -- and with the depth of it, we had projected that there would be few aftershocks, and not near as large. And so that's what we're looking forward to seeing from there on.

These aftershocks could last for quite a while, but we really don't expect to have the big aftershocks that would be large enough to bring down buildings that was weakened in the main shock.

KAGAN: Waverly Person, chief of the U.S. Geological Survey, thanks so much for joining us this morning -- imagine it's been a afternoon and a long night for you. Thanks for getting up early with us, in Golden, Colorado.

PERSON: That is correct.

KAGAN: Thank you so much.

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