How much damage would be caused by a large earthquake on the Wasatch Front?
If the earthquake were to occur on a central part of the Wasatch fault, Utah should expect damage to buildings to exceed $4.5 billion in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties. This may only represent 20% of the total economic loss. Unreinforced masonry buildings (for example, brick homes built before 1960) are particularly vulnerable to ground shaking and are expected to account for 75% of the building losses. Surface faulting and ground failures due to shaking during a large earthquake will cause major disruption of lifelines (utilities, water, sewer), transportation systems (highways, bridges, airports, railways), and communication systems.
