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LLNL Emergency Management Plan (EPlan) <br />Rev 27 <br />January 2022 <br /> <br /> 20 <br />The earthquake faults of greatest threat to LLNL’s Site 200 and Site 300 are the Calaveras and <br />Greenville faults, which are both estimated to be capable of producing earthquakes in the <br />magnitude 6.5 to 7 range (i.e., similar to the size of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake). These two <br />faults make the greatest contribution to the seismic hazard at Site 200, particularly at frequencies <br />of ground shaking of about 1 Hz and above that would be the most damaging to buildings at the <br />sites. For example, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake (followed by a magnitude 5.4 aftershock) on the <br />Greenville Fault in 1980 produced high frequency shaking having an estimated peak acceleration <br />of about 0.3 g (g is the acceleration due to gravity) and some instances of significant structural <br />damage at Site 200. Comparable high frequency shaking would not be experienced from <br />earthquakes on larger faults of the San Andreas system (i.e., San Andreas, Hayward-Rogers <br />Creek, San Gregorio). Rather, these faults would produce relatively large low-frequency ground <br />motions of longer duration. For example, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake on the San Andreas <br />Fault produced a peak ground acceleration of 0.1 g at Site 200, but caused no damage. <br />The Carnegie-Corral Hollow Fault system passes through Site 300 and 3 km east of Site 200. <br />Field investigations by LLNL Geosciences in 1991 suggested that the Carnegie-Corral Hollow <br />Fault should be considered potentially active, in which case it makes significant contributions to <br />the hazard at both sites. Apparently, less active and/or shorter faults that make lesser <br />contributions to the overall hazard include the Las Positas and Verona-Williams faults, and the <br />recently discovered Mount Diablo thrust fault under the Livermore and Sycamore valleys. <br />Historical records indicate that about once every 20 years Site 200 is subject to an earthquake <br />that can at least knock books off shelves, overturn furniture, cause lighting fixtures to fall, and <br />the like. No active faults are known to underlie Site 200, and there is no historical record of <br />surface rupturing or faulting at the site. Flooding resulting from seismic events would not occur <br />at LLNL from a failure of the Del Valle Reservoir dam, from loss of water from the Patterson <br />Reservoir, or from a break in the South Bay Aqueduct near LLNL. <br />Wildland Fires <br />Wildland fires are a concern at LLNL. Historically, wildland fires have not been a threat at <br />Site 200. However, wildland fires are a significant concern at Site 300. Precautions are taken to <br />reduce the potential for a wildland fire spreading at Site 300 by reducing/controlling the growth <br />of vegetation within a buffer area inside the perimeter fence. Wildland fire control at Site 300 is <br />also mitigated aggressively by the annual prescribed burn. The prescribed burn confines a <br />potential fire to the property boundaries of Site 300, eliminates the fuel in high fire probability <br />areas (high explosive test areas), and generally breaks the fuel path, thereby limiting the size of <br />potential fires in other areas. The Fire Department has been successfully conducting prescribed <br />burns at Site 300 for over 45 years. Three documents describe and regulate the prescribed burns, <br />the Prescribed Burning/Smoke Management Plan, Site 300 Explosive Test Facility Prescribed <br />Burn/Smoke Management Plan and EMD Procedure 1606, Tactical Plan - Command