Could the Golden Gate Bridge withstand a worst-case scenario -- intensity, duration, location -- earthquake?
607374
I don't know if this really answers your question, but they are currently doing a seismic retrofit to the bridge wherein they are pretty much replacing the whole bridge piece by piece while it is still in use.  So I guess the answer right now is no, but hopefully yes when they are done.
699940
The last quake that occurred within two miles of the city of SF was "the Great SF Quake of 1906." (April 18th) The epicenter was 2 miles offshore...I believe.\n\nThe 1989 quake (VERY SCARY!) was actually not centered in SF. It's epicenter was about 10 miles from Santa Cruz. However, it was felt ALL over the bay area. SF was damaged mostly because of landfill liquidation. (October 17th)\n\nThe spooky part is that the 1989 was 7.0/7.1 (debated) magnatude, but the 1906 quake was 7.8/8.3 (debated)! The 7.0 was enough for me! I still get a little jittery...and if I see 5:04pm, it always makes me have flashbacks.
1069271
(m)\n\nThe Golden Gate is the strait connecting the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since the 1930s it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge.
1117997
National Geografic website has a lot of information about it. \nIf you go to the linlk provided and then to the section of Natural Forces, you will find a lot of material to support your research. \n\nSecond link is about simulate and understand these events, explaning how it works at all their levels. You can find it to Earthquake, Hurricane, etc. I've putted the link to Vulcanoes\n\nGood luck
952200
From USGS website, not copyrighted: \n"Hazard maps help save lives and property---\nNational maps of earthquake shaking hazards provide information essential to creating and updating the seismic design provisions of building codes used in the United States. Scientists frequently revise these maps to reflect new knowledge. Buildings, bridges, highways, and utilities built to meet modern seismic design provisions are better able to withstand earthquakes, not only saving lives but also enabling critical activities to continue with less disruption.\nAmerica's first line of defense against earthquakes has historically been the construction of buildings that can withstand severe shaking. Cities and counties rely on the seismic design provisions in building codes to ensure that structures can resist earthquakes. The variations in the seismic threat across the country are depicted on maps in building codes as zones of different risk levels. These building-code maps are based on more detailed shaking-hazard maps prepared by U.S. Government scientists."
918837
In theory there is no upper bound except those imposed by real-world engineering constraints.\n\nThe Russians popped an underground event in Siberia that was a bit over 50 megatons.  It *moved* the entire  Siberian techtonic plate something like a centimeter and they decided that was probably as big as they needed to test ☺\n\nSay you detonated something in the 10 megaton range at an altitude of about 5 miles.  Pretty much everything within about a 3 mile radius of 'ground zero' is going to be, literally, vaporized.  In fact, the top 30 or 40 feet of ground zero is going to be vaporized, leaving a sort of round 'dish' shaped depression a mile or so across in the ground.  Inside this radius, the 'dish' will be coated with a 'slag' formed as melted soil and rock cools.  Depending on the minerals in the area, some of these slags are quite colerful and would make excellent souvenirs.  (Just avoid the ones that glow in the dark ☺)  Everything out to about 10 miles or so will be knocked flat and/or incinerated (total destruction on the surface) by the heat and shock wave.  The structural damage begins to fall off after that, but significant damage to structures would still occur at ranges of 20 or more miles.  People directly exposed to the event would be killed (instantly) by the radiation at distances of up to about 10 miles.  After that, survival probabilities would increase logarithmically out to about 30 to 35 miles.  Life expectency (which would be zero out to ranges up to about 10 miles)  would go up along a logarithmic curve out to a range of about 100 miles or so, at which point the mean expected lifetime (post event) would be about the same as it was before the event.  One exception would be optical effects.  Anyone looking in the general direction of the event would probably be blinded out to a range of 30 to 40 miles.\n\n\nDoug
746545
There are earthquakes all the time.  Do you mean a destructive one?  That would be the quake that interrupted a game during the 1989 World Series when the Giants were playing at home.  Do you mean one some people just barely felt or noticed?  Earlier this month.  Do you mean one detected only by seismograph?  Probably within the last fifteen minutes.\nThe San Andreas fault runs right through San Francisco Bay, and there are plenty of other active faults in the area.
1151043
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening into the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. It connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula and a portion of the south-facing Marin County headlands near the small bayside town of Sausalito, and is located at 37°49′12″N, 122°28′43″W.[1] The entire bridge (including the approach) spans 1.7 miles (2.7 km) long; the distance between the towers ("main span") is 4,200 feet (1,280 m), and the clearance below the bridge is 220 ft (67 m) at mean high water. The two towers rise 746 feet (227 m) above the water. The diameter of the main suspension cables is 1 yard (0.91 m).\n\nThe Golden Gate Bridge was the largest suspension bridge in the world when it was completed in 1937 and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco. It is currently the second longest in the United States after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City.
865970
Depends if u are asking regarding rain hazard (outward) collapse,\nor packing/storage  (inward) collapse...
349011
Los Angeles and San Francisco would be the big ones but there are a lot of smaller ones in the same danger area. Basically anything that is on or near the San Andreas Fault. Check the map at the link--- actually explore the rest of the site, too--- good info there!
816499
You won't be warned.  The earth will just start moving.  The danger isn't the earthquake.  The dangers are the things that fall on you, the fires that burn after (assuming gas lines or electricity or some source of fire and fuel).
1146968
the san andreas fault which sits right below the western part of california will eventually fall due to a massive earthquake ,.................dont start packing yet  according to some geologist we talking about 100-175000 yrs from now
881749
Earthquake any day!  I used to live in California - they are not so bad but Tornados scare the bejesus out me!
475388
People have lived from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge --- however the majority have died trying. According to Wikipedia the GGB is 220 feet above the water. From this height you will either die from the fall or compress your spine when you land. Either way, its not a good thing.
898102
There are several factors decides the amount of destruction during earthquakes. The safest place is only the open ground. Important factors are magnitude, frequency of earthquakes, and natural frequency of buildings, geographical condition, and the distance from the source of earthquakes. Some times tall building withstands the quakes and short buildings are damaged. If the frequency of earthquakes matches with the natural frequency of the building the damages will be more. You can construct the building of short height using the technology adopted for self alignment bearings. That will just osculate. No damages will be there for any quakes. Please visit my slide show in the following URL. \nhttp://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/quake
568106
I'd say the chances are really good. There was a 3.1 earthquake on May 06, 2006 about 20 miles SW of Trinidad, Colorado (190 miles south of Denver).\n\nBetween August 28 and September 21, 2001 there was a swarm of 12 measuring from 2.8 to 4.6 near Trinidad.
3970
There is no reliable method to predict an earth quake.What scientists do is use mathematical models based on historical information of earth quakes and estimate the probability in different regions.Lasers and satellite based data and evaluations are used by some.