California’s Ventura Fault May Bring Strong Tremors, Tsunamis
- 7 years ago
California’s Ventura-Pitas Point fault was declared a particularly worrisome one years ago, but, according to recent research, the dangers may have been understated.
California’s Ventura-Pitas Point fault was declared a particularly worrisome one years ago, but, according to recent research, the dangers may have been understated.
In addition to its potential to unleash a magnitude 8 earthquake, the fault, which runs from Ventura to the Santa Barbara Channel, could bring stronger shaking than previously anticipated.
It could also trigger a tsunami.
A team of researchers in the U.S. based their assertions on models incorporating both of the line’s suggested structures.
A release about the study notes, “Originally, researchers assumed the fault was planar and steeply dipping, like a sheet of plywood positioned against a house, to a depth of about 13 miles. But a more recent study, published in 2014, suggested the fault had a ‘ramp-flat geometry,' with a flat section between two tilting sections, similar to a portion of a staircase.”
Researchers deemed the latter the more likely of the two and found that, as portions run closer to the surface, tremors could be more robust and damaging.
The scientists plan to do further research into which areas are particularly vulnerable and the likelihood of a tsunami.
California’s Ventura-Pitas Point fault was declared a particularly worrisome one years ago, but, according to recent research, the dangers may have been understated.
In addition to its potential to unleash a magnitude 8 earthquake, the fault, which runs from Ventura to the Santa Barbara Channel, could bring stronger shaking than previously anticipated.
It could also trigger a tsunami.
A team of researchers in the U.S. based their assertions on models incorporating both of the line’s suggested structures.
A release about the study notes, “Originally, researchers assumed the fault was planar and steeply dipping, like a sheet of plywood positioned against a house, to a depth of about 13 miles. But a more recent study, published in 2014, suggested the fault had a ‘ramp-flat geometry,' with a flat section between two tilting sections, similar to a portion of a staircase.”
Researchers deemed the latter the more likely of the two and found that, as portions run closer to the surface, tremors could be more robust and damaging.
The scientists plan to do further research into which areas are particularly vulnerable and the likelihood of a tsunami.