Scientists Just Discovered a Missing Link Between San Francisco’s Faults
Two of California's most active fault lines appear to be a 118-mile-long fault instead
image:
http://thumbs.media.smithsonianmag.com//filer/4d/cc/4dcc95b3-67df-4769-afd1-52f0eeea5871/istock_19432507_medium.jpg__800x600_q85_crop.jpgSan Francisco
(traxlergirl/iStock)
By Erin Blakemore
smithsonian.com
October 21, 2016
If you grew up in San Francisco, earthquake drills were just as common as fire drills. This fear of “the big one” is part of California life—especially given the large number of fault zones that underlie the San Francisco Bay Area. And it turns out that the area’s earthquake risk is even higher than once thought: As William Herkewitz reports for Popular Mechanics, scientists have now discovered that two of San Francisco’s most notorious faults are actually one.
In a new study published in the journal Science Advances, geologists present what they call a “missing link” between the Hayward and Rodgers Creek faults. The Hayward Fault runs along the East Bay hills, and the Rodgers Creek cuts up toward Napa and Sonoma. The two faults have long been considered the most likely to cause the area’s next major quake, with a 31 percent probability it will rupture and create a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake within the next 30 years. But they have always been considered distinct by geologists, who though of them as parallel or separated by a large gap inside the San Pablo Bay.
Read more:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-study-finds-two-faults-san-francisco-are-actually-one-180960881/#qhyBhFLGvLDb0Ytd.99Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12!
http://bit.ly/1cGUiGvFollow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter
