Dr. Lawrence Hayes quotes from San Andreas (2015)

Dr. Lawrence Hayes

The earthquake that they felt was from movement along the fault line in the Central Valley; their end of the fault line has not moved yet. More importantly, people need to know that the shaking is not over, and it's not aftershocks I'm talking about. San Francisco is going to get hit again, and it's going to be a bigger monster this time - our models are predicting a 9.5 or greater. It will be so big, that even though it's happening here in California, you will feel it on the East Coast. [looking directly into the zooming camera] Now I cannot emphasize this enough to the people of San Francisco: You need to get out. And I mean now. And if you can't, you need to find any means possible to drop, cover, and hold on. Because your life is gonna depend on it. God be with you.

Hayes

Now, the Sendai quake in Japan was considered one of the five strongest since 1900. It was so powerful, in fact that it moved the main island of Japan eight feet. This is just one of the 1.3 million earthquakes that occur around the globe each year. The largest ever recorded here in North America: Anchorage, Alaska, 1964. A 9.1. The earth shook for five straight minutes. The energy release was the equivalent of 10 million atom bombs the size of the one dropped on Hiroshima. And that's not the biggest earthquake ever recorded. No, the biggest was four years earlier off the coast of Valdivia in Southern Chile. A 9.5 on the Richter scale, right there. Bam. This quake lasted 11 minutes and spawned a tsunami, 82 feet high, that leveled Hilo, Hawaii, 8,000 miles away. Eight thousand miles away. So, um... It's mass destruction like this that shows just how important the research that we're doing here is, because we need to be able to predict these things. right? To plan and prepare for them. Yes, ma'am?

Professor, do you think something that intense could happen here?

Hayes

Well, the San Andreas fault runs right up the spine of California. It's the demarcation line between two tectonic plates that are constantly moving. Add to that the fact that it's supposed to happen every 150 years, and we're about 100 years overdue... I'd say it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

Are you saying you think the whole San Andreas fault might go off?

Hayes

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.

Who should we call?

Hayes

Everybody.

Hayes

Come on, I need everybody! [runs with Serena, Alexi and Phoebe]

What are we doing?

Hayes

Getting you on the air. We need to warn people.

How? There's no way to upload a signal!

Hayes

You're at Caltech.

Hayes

Okay, who wants an "A" in Independent Study? I'm starting a new class: "How to Save Lives by Hacking Media Outlets".

Hell, yeah, man, I'm in.

Hayes

Sweet, bro. Get your laptop, let's go.