As if the San Andreas fault is scary enough, new evidence suggests that a portion of it travels much faster than scientists historically believed.
(Photo: David Paul Morris / Getty Images)
PARKFIELD, CA – SEPTEMBER 30: The Parkfield Coalinga Bridge crosses the San Andreas fault on Parkfield Road Coalinga on September 30, 2004, Parkfield, California. The tiny city of central California with a population of 19, which claims to be named “Earthquake Capital of the World,” was hit by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2004.
It’s called Mission Creek laces, according to KCET.org. It stretches from Indio to the mountains of San Bernardino, traversing the Desert Hot Springs.
San Andreas Crack: What Is It?
Geology said the San Andreas fault, which stretches almost the entire length of California, could cause a massive earthquake known simply as “The Big One.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, San Andreas is also a major landmark between the Pacific and North American plains. The two sides of the fault pass each other while the plates move past each other.
However, friction catches the fault, and as both sides turn, pressure builds up until it is released by earthquakes. About half of the weight is caused by plate movement in southern San Andreas, which can be as much as 25 millimeters (about one inch) per year.
However, not all aspects of the defect are equally weighted. The San Andreas fault line in Southern California includes several smaller “strands,” making it impossible for earthquake experts to determine which areas of the fault system are more susceptible. injured by a riot.
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San Andreas Crack: Mission Creek is not active
Kimberly Blisniuk, a geologist at San Jose State University and lead author of the study, found that this particular strand of San Andreas fault “has not been very active.”
“So there is more likely to be a major earthquake in the future,” Blisniuk said.
Experts estimate the slip rate of Mission Creek was around 14 millimeters per year. Still, the study, titled »Revised role for the main series of Pleistocene-Holocene San Andreas Fault in Southern California, “estimates that it is currently around 21.6 millimeters per year.
They discovered that the fault of South San Andreas was responsible for most of the burden at that time.
On the other hand, the prohibited dowel had an average slip of just 2.5 millimeters per year, according to their estimates.
A few millimeters don’t seem like much. However, when large tectonic plates press against each other, the tension increases rapidly.
Blisniuk said the fault in southern San Andreas is likely to go through earthquakes that break down on the ground at level one every 215 years or so. The last one in the southernmost part took place in 1726.
Researchers said about six to nine meters of elastic strain has accumulated on the defect from the previous one. It meant that the earth moved about 20 to 30 centimeters when it was released. It is unclear whether a single or a series of earthquakes are needed to travel that distance, according to Blisniuk.
San Andreas Fault: More Studies Needed
All of this suggests that this strand of the San Andreas is more dangerous than previously thought. What is the added risk? It needs to be evaluated by experts.
As footpaths of up to 30 feet can occur in the event of a major earthquake, any facilities in that area, such as water or gas lines that bypass the fault itself, must be carefully inspected.
We know that major earthquakes on the San Andreas are likely, no matter what happens on the slopes of Mission Creek.
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