14
Thursday, February 10, 1977
University Daily Kansan
Earthquakes in Kansas a subject of study by Geological Survey
By ROBERT MACKEY
Staff Renorter
Earthquakes and how to predict them form one of the concerns of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which approves the building sites of all nuclear power plants. The NRC, 1180 Wolf Creek Generating Station No. 1, be built outside Burlington.
Earthquakes in Kansas? According to Frank Wilson, research associate for the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), the largest one occurred last year and the largest one near Lawrence was in 1961.
The survey began early work on quakes in July 1976, and will start a first year study of earthquake prediction funded by the NRC this June. Wilson said.
WILSON SAID THE HAIN danger to nuclear power plants is to piping that feeds
"The containment vessel is safe," he said, "but the plant has to be designed with huge pipes about four feet in diameter. The plant has to withstand an earthquake as a unit." If an accurate prediction of future earthquakes can be made before building begins, he said, "billions" of dollars could be saved over time by an individual plant by decreasing the cost of changing already built structures.
Most plant sites are in what is called the Central Stable Region, from the Rocky
Mountains east to the Atlantic Ocean. This region, particularly the Midwest, contains large areas rated one to two on a zero-to-three scale of earthquake intensity.
THE SCALE IS based on the Modified Mercalli Scale, a 12-segment scale that describes the Richer Magnitude Scale in terms of damage done by the earthquake. A zero rating means no damage — from I to V on the Mercalli; One means minor damage — V and VI on the Mercalli; Two means moderate damage — VII and III on the Mercalli; and Three means major damage — VIII and up on the Mercalli. East central Kansas is in a two region.
Earthquakes in the Manhattan area—one in 1887 and one in 1906—measured VII to XI on the seismic scale. They ranged from 2 to 3 on the new scale—meaning moderate to heavy damage. Two more in 1929 measured V–in the number one range, meaning minor damage was
The earthquakes, although causing less damage than quakes on the West Coast, spread out over a larger area, Wilson said, because the underlying bedrock was less resistant to the coast. But the location of the faults in Kansas are more important, he said.
"It's the ones we don't know about that worry us." Wilson said.
THIS SUMMER, nine detectors will be
Many methods locate elusive human genes
There is a map, unfinished right now, that can't be found in the map library of Spencer Cummings.
FOR YEARS, GENES were known to be in chromosomes, the bits of material in the nucleus of each cell that determine the activities of each cell and the organism itself. But until recently, the "address," or name, of a specific chromosome was unknown.
A new location technique, somatic cell hybridization, developed in 1961, was applied to gene mapping in 1968. Fusing cells from two different animals allows scientists to plot the neighborhoods in which the genes live. The JAMA article said that more than 1,200 nearby neighborhoods, 120 of them on specific chromosomes, have been found.
The map, showing the location of genes on a human chromosome, is being drawn by geneticists and physicians around the world, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), said recently. The process of mapping genes occurs even with the most powerful microscope, an individual gene can't be seen.
Paul Kitos, University of Kansas professor of biochemistry, said that the cells were aided in their fusing by a new technique. The new cell contains two nuclei, each with the full set of chromosomes from each donor. Sometimes the nuclei come from just one of the donor cell types, resulting in a non-growing cell. If, however, the nuclei are from one of each donor and they fuse, the result is a hybrid that can be grown in the laboratory.
Three other methods—family studies, translocation and co-transfer of genes—help to fill in details of the gene map. The least precise of the three methods, family
THE HYBRID eventually loses some of the excess chromosomes, Kitos said. By noting the functions of the hybrid and recalling which of the chromosomes disappeared, scientists can infer which gene goes on an individual chromosome.
"This (hybridization) is one of the most powerful tools we have. We can work with a population of cells rather than organisms," she said. But this isn't the only method used.
intramural 1st place division winners in Volleyball and Football can pick up their team pictures at services. Rm. 208, Robinson Gym.
placed by Wilson, his staff and helpers in a constantly monitor earthquake activity.
Harold Pinter's
OLD TIMES
Feb. 8 thru Feb. 12
Inge Theatre
8 p.m.
Tickets 864-3982
Wilson detailed his work on earthquake prediction Monday night to about 50 people in Kansas City, Mo., in the Linda Hall School. The University of Missouri at Kansas City.
study, consists of tracing characteristics back through one's family. Translocation happens when the chromosomes cross over between parents or between other. Co-transfer involves surgically removing pieces of chromosomes and planting them on other chromosomes. More than one method is used to locate a gene on chromosome 15 in order that the method might lack accuracy. Kitos said.
He said the NRC required a safety report on the site of any proposed nuclear power plant, containing information on whether an active or capable fault lay within 200 miles of the plant site. An act of damage occurs once within the last 35,000 years or twice within the last 500,000 years. A capable fault is one that ruptures the earth's surface.
For instance, translocation doesn't offer the precision of co-transferring, but is much easier to induce, he said. Another hazard of such an approach is that genes might be mutated, or hidden, by another gene.
JAMA noted that the gene for the ABO blood type was found to be on chromosome nine and the genes for color blindness and hemophilia, although suspected to be there, were located on the X chromosome. A woman with this trait had chromosome would, therefore, have no protection against these two genes if they were on the X chromosome he inherited.
JOBN WEIR, KU professor of physiology and cellular biology, said that gene mapping techniques could help correct genetic abnormalities.
"If you know where defective genes are, you can do a little genetic surgery," he said. Weir added that some scientists thought that some cancer might be related to a human genes. Knowledge of gene locations would lead researchers closer to a cure.
In addition, an estimate of the force of possible future earthquakes is required. Since it is difficult to predict future earthquakes, but that by using an indirect method that considers the amount of time that passes between earthquakes of similar size, predictions could be made.
in the meantime, JAMA noted, the 1,200 gene map locations are located at a rate of two a month and represent a fittithe of the 24 gene map locations of genes on the 24 human chromosomes.
DATA COLLECTED FROM small tremors can be related mathematically to data collected from larger quakes, allowing widely accurate idea of the return period, after tremor.
"But have we seen the largest quake in that region?" he asked the audience.
The region he referred to is the Nemahia Ridge, a subterranean hilly area that stretches from Oklahoma through the Flint Hills of east central Kansas to Nebraska. Along the eastern border of the ridge is a fault, visible on the side of the ridge to be associated with earthquake activity. Burlington is located about 50 miles from the fault.
Movements of the fault are thought to be associated with earthquakes at the northern coast.
Wilson's early studies consisted of mapping the Nemah Ridge, a difficult task because, unlike the San Andreas Fault in California, the Nemah can't be seen. But using such indirect measures as magnetic field data and geologic maps, complete picture can be drawn of the ridge.
ONE SURPRISEFIND, Wilson said, was several large gravitational anomalies in the fault area. One of these encompasses an area that includes Topeka, Lawrence and Karsan City. Another researcher discovered a large mass of dense, highly magnetized magnetite, which extends south through Minnesota and overlaps the northern tip through the Nemah Ridge. Both types of anomalies are associated with earthquakes.
When he found the anomalies, Wilson made profile maps of their location and found that the anomalies peaked in both a north-south and east-west direction in the area. He was interested in these stations. It is questionable whether these anomalies are potentially dangerous.
Wilson said the two anomalies fell into the categories of "black wedges" and "green holes." The black wedge around Lake Superior contains denser material than that surrounding it and the green hole contains material less dense that that surrounding it, causing stresses normally found in the Earth's surface to concentrate around them.
BOTH OF THESE anomalies seem to indicate that the Nemaha Ridge is the source of the earthquake activity around her, Wilson said. The next step is to install monitoring equipment to aid in the prediction of future earthquakes.
SUA and the Commission on the Status of Women present...
"Faces of the American Eve"
a one woman show featuring MAUREEN HAWLEY 8 P.M. Tuesday Feb.15 Jayhawk Room, Kansas Union
TOM BUYERS President
JUNIOR CLASS OFFICERS
MELANIE SMITH
Secretary
CINDY SUGGS Treasurer
BRAD YOST
Vice-President
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