What is surface faulting or surface rupture in an earthquake?
Surface rupture occurs when movement on a fault deep within the earth breaks through to the surface. NOT ALL earthquakes result in surface rupture.
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UCERF3: A new earthquake forecast for California's complex fault system
With innovations, fresh data, and lessons learned from recent earthquakes, scientists have developed a new earthquake forecast model for California, a region under constant threat from potentially damaging events. The new model, referred to as the third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, or "UCERF" (http://www.WGCEP.org/UCERF3),...
Field, Edward H.
Uniform California earthquake rupture forecast, version 3 (UCERF3): the time-independent model
In this report we present the time-independent component of the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, Version 3 (UCERF3), which provides authoritative estimates of the magnitude, location, and time-averaged frequency of potentially damaging earthquakes in California. The primary achievements have been to relax fault segmentation...
Field, Edward H.; Biasi, Glenn P.; Bird, Peter; Dawson, Timothy E.; Felzer, Karen R.; Jackson, David D.; Johnson, Kaj M.; Jordan, Thomas H.; Madden, Christopher; Michael, Andrew J.; Milner, Kevin R.; Page, Morgan T.; Parsons, Thomas; Powers, Peter M.; Shaw, Bruce E.; Thatcher, Wayne R.; Weldon, Ray J.; Zeng, Yuehua
United States Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards Response
The primary goal of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards Response is to ensure that the disaster response community has access to timely, accurate, and relevant geospatial products, imagery, and services during and after an emergency event. To accomplish this goal, products and services provided by the National Geospatial Program (NGP)...
Lamb, Rynn M.; Jones, Brenda K.
Understanding risk and resilience to natural hazards
Natural hazards threaten the safety and economic wellbeing of communities. These hazards include sudden-onset hazards, such as earthquakes, and slowly emerging, chronic hazards, such as those associated with climate change. To help public officials, emergency and other managers, the business community, and at-risk individuals reduce the risks...
Wood, Nathan
Surface rupture of the 2002 Denali fault, Alaska, earthquake and comparison with other strike-slip ruptures
On 3 November 2002, an M7.9 earthquake produced 340 km of surface rupture on the Denali and two related faults in Alaska. The rupture proceeded from west to east and began with a 40-km-long break on a previously unknown thrust fault. Estimates of surface slip on this thrust are 3-6 m. Next came the principal surface break along ???218 km of the...
Haeussler, Peter J.; Schwartz, D.P.; Dawson, T.E.; Stenner, Heidi D.; Lienkaemper, J.J.; Cinti, F.; Montone, Paola; Sherrod, B.; Craw, P.
Quaternary fault and fold database of the United States
Machette, Michael N.; Haller, Kathleen M.; Dart, R.L.; Rhea, S.B.
The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program - investing in a safer future
Filson, John R.; McCarthy, Jill; Ellsworth, William L.; Zoback, Mary Lou; Stauffer, Peter H.; Hendley, James W.
This dynamic earth: the story of plate tectonics
In the early 1960s, the emergence of the theory of plate tectonics started a revolution in the earth sciences. Since then, scientists have verified and refined this theory, and now have a much better understanding of how our planet has been shaped by plate-tectonic processes. We now know that, directly or indirectly, plate tectonics...
Kious, W. Jacquelyne; Tilling, Robert I. Quaternary fault map of the Basin and Range and Rio Grande Rift provinces, Western United States
Nakata, John K.; Wentworth, C.M.; Machette, Michael N.
Denali Fault Quake Offers Clues for Hazards in Future Quakes, Science Magazine Reports
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and their partners studying the largest on-land earthquake in North America in almost 150 years report new information that will help further safety-planning efforts for future large quakes, according to an article published in the May 16, 2003, edition of the journal Science.
Alaska Interior Reveals Scars and Ruptures from 7.9 Denali Fault Quake
Sunday’s magnitude 7.9 earthquake in central Alaska created a scar across the landscape for more than 145 miles, according to surveys conducted the past two days by geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Survey.
PubTalk 5/2017 — Underwater secrets of the Hayward fault zone
Title: Underwater Secrets of the Hayward Fault Zone: Integrated 3D imaging to understand earthquake hazards
- Underwater imaging provides a unique opportunity to study urban fault hazards.
- How do we link surface structures to depths where earthquakes occur?
- How does "acoustic trenching" help us understand earthquake history?
2014 South Napa CA M6 Earthquake - August 24
Pavement buckling and tented sidewalk resulting from ~14 cm of compression on Sandybrook Ln., north end of main rupture.
Surface Fractures Along Fault
Photograph of surface fractures along fault south of Pinto Wash; view to the northeast.
Fractures on Ocotillo Fault
Vertical surface fractures along Ocotillo Fault. Faulting here is associated with the nearby Mw5.7 aftershock of June 14, 2010. Tape measure for scale.
Yuha Fault Fractures
Fault scarp (above change in slope) with fractures (white arrows) along Yuha Fault; view to the northwest. Yellow notebook (in center) for scale.
Brawley Fault Zone Surface Fractures Across Road
Fresh surface fractures (black arrows) along Brawley Fault Zone and across Ralph Road in response to the 2010 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake; view to the north. Slight vertical component of slip (2 mm, up on east [right] side) more noticeable at white arrow.
Denali Fault: Canwell Glacier
The Denali fault offset crevasses on the Canwell Glacier.
Totschunda Fault
Near the southeast extent of the surface rupture of the Totschunda fault thrust faulting pushed the frozen sand and gravel over the snow surface.
Totschunda Fault
View southeast along the Totschunda fault.
Denali Fault
At pass west of Delta River. Here there was roughly 5 m of offset. Note the push up in the background. There is permafrost at the bottom of the cracks.
San-Andreas Fault
Aerial photo of the San Andreas Fault in the Carrizo Plain. By Ikluft - Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3106006
Fault Through a Pasture
The fault is clearly expressed through this pasture at N40 41.959', E030 30.196'. Offset of a small road is 2.4 m (a maximum).