For the first time, scientists are using advanced technology and an innovative vessel to study, image, and map the unexplored offshore Northern San Andreas Fault from north of San Francisco to its termination at the junction of three tectonic plates off Mendocino, Calif.
The team includes scientists from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, Oregon State University, the California Seafloor Mapping Program, the U.S. Geological Survey and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The expedition which concludes Sunday is sponsored by NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.
While the fault on land is obscured by erosion, vegetation and urbanization in many places, scientists expect the subsea portion of the fault to include deep rifts and high walls, along with areas supporting animal life. The expedition team is using high-resolution sonar mapping, subsurface seismic data and imaging with digital cameras for the first-ever three-dimensional bathymetric-structural map that will model the undersea Northern San Andreas Fault and its structure. Little is known about the offshore fault due to perennial bad weather that has limited scientific investigations.
"By relating this 3-D model with ongoing studies of the ancient record of seismic activity in this volatile area, scientists may better understand past earthquakes in part because fault exposure on land is poor, and the sedimentary record of the northern California offshore fault indicates a rich history of past earthquakes," said Chris Goldfinger, co-principal investigator and marine geologist and geophysicist at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore. "The model will also benefit geodetic studies of the buildup of energy to help better understand the potential for earthquakes."
More than a century after the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake, the science team is also exploring the fault for lessons associated with the intertwined relationships between major eart
'/>"/>
| Contact: Fred Gorell fred.gorell@noaa.gov 301-734-1021 NOAA Headquarters Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. Scripps Research scientists win $65 million in new grants to reveal form and function of proteins
2. Chromosomal break gives scientists a break in finding new puberty gene
3. Scientists discover a new way our bodies control blood pressure: the P450-EET system
4. Scientists reveal important clues to how bacteria and viruses are identified as enemies
5. Going green: New program provides vital support for plant scientists
6. Notre Dame and Wyoming scientists genetically engineer silkworms to produce artificial spider silk
7. Hepatitis C virus faces new weapon from Florida State scientists
8. Light workout: Stanford scientists use optogenetics to effectively stimulate muscle movement in mice
9. Scientists release first cultivated ohelo berry for Hawaii
10. Fruit flies help Yale scientists sniff out new insect repellents
11. Marine scientists unveil the mystery of life on undersea mountains
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |