The trailer for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s new action flick may be literally groundbreaking, but it turns out that San Andreas isn’t entirely realistic. Dr. Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, known in some circles as the Earthquake Lady for her expertise in the field, went to the premiere and live-tweeted the entire movie — for science.
Jones used her scientific knowledge to fact-check the movie’s portrayal of The Big One and it appears that Hollywood has taken some liberties with the truth:
First big howler. San Andreas the movie pretends that California has a subduction zone. We can only have a M8.2 — Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) May 27, 2015
I like that the aftershocks keep on hitting and cause more damage. That’s the reality of Big EQs
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) May 27, 2015
First big safety message- if the shaking is bad enough to damage a dam you won’t be able to run — Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) May 27, 2015
We expect serious damage to 1 in every 16 buildings in a real San Andreas EQ. The movie damage over the top.
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) May 27, 2015
OMG! A chasm? If the fault could open up, there’d be no friction. With no friction, there’d be no earthquake — Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) May 27, 2015
Recognizing water draw down as sign of tsunami is good. However tsunami from San Andreas is impossible. Now we are in fantasy territory
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) May 27, 2015
You can read all her tweets here, but the overall takeaway of Jones’s tweets is that while San Andreas is not exactly realistic, it is important to prepare for disasters. If you have an emergency plan, take a disaster training course, get a landline, learn to drop, cover and hold on, and create a post-disaster family communication strategy, you can be your own competent, sexy hero, and, hopefully, you won’t need The Rock to save you from an earthquake.
[H/T LAist]
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