Californian's may want to take out an earthquake insurance policy... or move

A major mining operation is taking place starting now in California under the Salton Sea, California's largest lake bed, which contains $540 billion dollars in lithium.

There are 2 major problems with this.

The San Andreas Fault runs directly below the Salton Sea in Southern California, and is the primary seismic hazard in the state. The fault is where the North American and Pacific tectonic plates meet, and has produced some of California's largest earthquakes.

#1 Cloud seeding, filling the lake with water and mining ponds will make it worse

A Nature study found that the drying of the Salton Sea has eased the strain on the fault. The study found that major earthquakes occurred every 180 years, around the time when the lake's water levels were highest.

The San Andreas Fault system includes the Imperial Fault, which is located south of the Salton Sea. The fault system bends near the Salton Sea, which can cause extensional stresses in the southern end of the Salton Trough.

The San Andreas Fault steps from the northeast side of the Salton Sea to the Brawley and Imperial fault systems. This region has not had a historic ground-rupturing earthquake.

Seismic activity at the Salton Sea could trigger large earthquakes along the San Andreas Fault. The longer the region goes without a major earthquake, the more seismic stress builds up.

They are just finishing up a year's long '“conservation project” making plans to fill the Salton Sea more, possibly keep it full. Lithium mining will also require large ponds of water.

Further reading, plans to fill salton sea with water

Cloud seeding:

Cloud seeding pilot program

The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) is conducting a four-year cloud seeding pilot program to increase water supply. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://sawpa.gov/santa-ana-river-watershed-cloud-seeding/%23:~:text%3DCloud%2520seeding%2520is%2520a%2520type,special%2520arrangement%2520needed%2520to%2520freeze.&ved=2ahUKEwigtMSgp7KJAxUAjIkEHV6RHvoQzsoNegQIBBAL&usg=AOvVaw1F69IUz6SL2w4I0blISEj1

Their youtube presentation video:

Using nearby lake:

https://www.deseret.com/2024/2/17/24075024/artificial-wetlands-salton-sea-great-salt-lake/

#2 Mining

Mining is a leading cause of human-induced earthquakes, responsible for 25% of such events globally. Mining can cause earthquakes by removing material from the earth, which can cause instability and lead to sudden collapses.

Mining can create new faults or cause existing faults to slip.