SJSU Finds San Andreas Slip Rate Steady for 10,000 Years, Raising Quake Risk
Updated
Updated · KABC-TV · Aug 21
SJSU Finds San Andreas Slip Rate Steady for 10,000 Years, Raising Quake Risk
3 articles · Updated · KABC-TV · Aug 21
Summary
San Jose State researchers say a San Andreas Fault section in the Santa Cruz Mountains is slipping faster than previously thought, a sign earthquakes there could occur more frequently.
Landforms at Sanborn County Park indicate the slip rate did not taper off as expected and instead stayed roughly constant over a 10,000-year period, matching rates seen farther north.
Kim Blisniuk said the finding is not yet peer-reviewed, but it strengthens the case for preparedness because faster-moving faults generally generate quakes more often.
The warning comes a week after a magnitude 3.9 quake on the Hayward Fault in Oakland and recalls major San Andreas events including the 1906 San Francisco and 1989 Loma Prieta earthquakes.