California fault capable of 8.0-magnitude earthquake shows unprecedented recent movement, study

[TexasTowelie]

California fault capable of 8.0-magnitude earthquake shows unprecedented recent movement, study finds


LOS ANGELES >> A major California fault capable of producing a magnitude 8 earthquake has begun moving for the first time on record, a result of this year’s Ridgecrest earthquake sequence destabilizing nearby faults, Caltech scientists say in a study released in the journal Science today.

In the modern historical record, the 160-mile-long Garlock fault on the northern edge of the Mojave Desert has never been observed to produce either a strong earthquake or even to creep — the slow movement between earthquakes that causes a visible scar on the ground surface.

But new satellite radar images now show that the fault has started to move, causing a bulging of land that can be viewed from space.

“This is surprising, because we’ve never seen the Garlock fault do anything. Here, all of a sudden, it changed its behavior,” said the lead author of the study, Zachary Ross, assistant professor of geophysics at Caltech. “We don’t know what it means.”

Read more: https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/10/17/news/california-fault-capable-of-8-0-magnitude-earthquake-shows-unprecedented-recent-movement-study-finds/
(Honolulu Star Advertiser)

[wasupaloopa]

1. I used to work in Ridgecrest. It is in the middle of miles of desert. I don't think an 8.0 would

do much damage in the desert. Edwards AFB is close by and China Lake Naval Base is outside Ridgecrest. Lancaster is near Edwards