Why San Andreas Fault is ‘sleeping’


Birds hunting for food during sunset at the Salton Sea in Desert Shores, California, United States. ­— ©2023 The New York Times Company

IT has been about three centuries since the last great earthquake on the southern San Andreas Fault, the most treacherous seismic hazard in California. For decades researchers have puzzled over why it has been so long. The average interval of large earthquakes along that portion of the fault has been 180 years over the past 1,000 years.

While seismologists agree that Southern California is due for the Big One, a group of researchers published a paper recently in the journal Nature that offers a reason for the period of seismic silence along the southern San Andreas, the tension-wracked meeting point of the North American and Pacific tectonic plates.

11.11 Flash Sale! Get 40% OFF Digital Access!

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 8.34/month

Billed as RM 8.34 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 7.40/month

Billed as RM 88.80 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
StarExtra

Next In Focus

Calculating the real cost in Gaza
Saving birds from wind turbines
China envy in Silicon Valley
Screening students could help prevent cyberbullying
Bullying, cybercrime push South Korea’s school violence to decade high
Stories from the frontlines
Fighting fear, finding safety
Europe’s journalists are under attack online
We can’t ignore EU’s AI Act
Closing cracks with new laws

Others Also Read