From mud sources reveal true extent of San Andreas fault
PrintSendFeeds A researcher examining a jar of mud (Image: David Lynch) Enlarge An aerial view of Elkhorn Scarp, central California, reveals the linear nature of the San Andreas Fault EnlargeAdvertisement The San Andreas fault has been long. A new line discovered "mud pots" - mud-filled hot springs indicating geothermal activity in the rocks below - suggests that the fault extends farther south than was previously thought. David Lynch and Kenneth Hudnut of the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a comprehensive analysis of the region beyond the southernmost point of fault. "We found a large number of pots of mud and mud volcanoes, many of whom were lined up beyond the agreed end of San Andreas fault," said Lynch. Pots of mud and mud volcanoes are created when water or gas is forced up through the soil, revealing areas of activity plate boundaries. Lynch believes that the line of pots of mud indicates the presence of a deep rift in the earth's crust, whose position suggests a continuation of San Andreas fault. "No new threat" An extension south of the fault had been suspected for some time. "Some geologists knew some of these pots, and even suggested many years ago they could indicate a fault," said Lynch. But the heavy agriculture has led to many surface characteristics in areas obliterated by bulldozers, leaving little visible evidence of what lies in May. The new extension is not thought to be seismically active, Lynch and wishes to emphasize that these results do not represent a new threat or suggest that the fault is more and more. Jeff McGuire Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, hopes that by contributing to our understanding of the region, this study could help us predict the potential dangers in the future. "It opens a possibility for geochemical studies of the fault zone fluids contribute to the seismic hazard estimates," he said. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the southern section of the fault is due a major earthquake in the coming decades. An earthquake drill _ Great Southern California ShakeOut - is scheduled for November 2008 to help prepare the local population for such an event. |
 Stumble It!
|
|
