Move Over, San Andreas: There's an Ominous New Fault in Town
By News
Published 5 years ago on
July 8, 2019
Share
[aggregation-styles]
Wired
Wired
U.S. ROUTE 395 is a geologic master class disguised as a road. It runs north from the arid outskirts of Los Angeles, carrying travelers up to Reno along the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada. On the way, they pass the black cinder cones of Coso Volcanic Field and the eroded scars of a mighty 19th-century earthquake near Lone Pine. In winter, drivers might see steam rising from Hot Creek, where water boils up from an active supervolcano deep underground.
About an hour from the Nevada border, Mono Lake appears, with its bulbous and surreal mineral formations known as tufa towers. Even for someone with no particular interest in rocks, these are captivating, otherworldly sights. But for James Faulds, Nevada’s state geologist, they are something more — clues to a great tectonic mystery unfolding in the American West. If he’s right, all of this, from the wastes of the Mojave Desert to the night-lit casinos of Reno, will someday be beachfront property.
For more than a century, the San Andreas Fault has been considered the undisputed heavyweight champion of large-scale deformation in the West. It is here that the North American and Pacific Plates meet, jostling for position with often violent results. Eventually, the theory goes, the thin sliver of land between the fault and the ocean — from the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula to the Santa Cruz Mountains — will break off from the mainland and slide north, until LA drifts past San Francisco.
About an hour from the Nevada border, Mono Lake appears, with its bulbous and surreal mineral formations known as tufa towers. Even for someone with no particular interest in rocks, these are captivating, otherworldly sights. But for James Faulds, Nevada’s state geologist, they are something more — clues to a great tectonic mystery unfolding in the American West. If he’s right, all of this, from the wastes of the Mojave Desert to the night-lit casinos of Reno, will someday be beachfront property.
For more than a century, the San Andreas Fault has been considered the undisputed heavyweight champion of large-scale deformation in the West. It is here that the North American and Pacific Plates meet, jostling for position with often violent results. Eventually, the theory goes, the thin sliver of land between the fault and the ocean — from the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula to the Santa Cruz Mountains — will break off from the mainland and slide north, until LA drifts past San Francisco.
By Geoff Manaugh | 18 April 2019
RELATED TOPICS:
No data was found
Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content
Tech /
13 hours ago
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month
Economy /
13 hours ago
A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution
Politics /
13 hours ago
UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza
World /
13 hours ago
Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates
Crime /
17 hours ago
Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win
Sports /
17 hours ago
Latest
Videos
Sports /
12 hours ago
Cronenworth’s Big Hit Helps Lift the Padres to a 6-4 Win Over Melvin’s Giants
Sports /
12 hours ago
Shohei Ohtani Reaches 3 Times in Home Debut as the Dodgers Rout the Cardinals 7-1
Tech /
13 hours ago
Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content
Economy /
13 hours ago
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month
Politics /
13 hours ago
A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution
World /
13 hours ago