Large, distant quakes can trigger changes in the San Andreas Fault, new study finds

Mercury News ^ | May 10, 2011 | Paul Rogers

[decimon]

Distant earthquakes -- even thousands of miles away -- have far more impact on California's San Andreas Fault than scientists previously realized, new research has found.

Large quakes like the magnitude 9.1 event in Sumatra that triggered tsunami waves across the Indian ocean in 2004 and the 8.8 quake in Chile last year caused parts of the San Andreas fault deep underground to suddenly slip, setting off small tremors, according to a study released Tuesday by seismologists with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park.

There's still no evidence that large quakes in one part of the world can set off large quakes right away on different faults thousands of miles away, said David Shelly, a USGS scientist.

But learning how deep sections of the San Andreas can react when they are hit with seismic waves is all part of unlocking the mysteries of how earthquakes work -- a search that could one day help scientists predict quakes, he added.

"Big earthquakes are triggering an acceleration of the fault that can last for hours or days," Shelly said. "You are triggering something that lasts longer than the seismic waves that are coming through. Over time, that can increase the stress on neighboring patches on the fault, which can generate tremors."

[decimon]

Upper crust ping.

[Vaquero]

this to me is a big ‘DUH’!

of course....it is one big moving bunch of tectonic plates...all interconnected one way or another.

[Red_Devil 232]

Gee how enlightening, Plate Tectonics explained.

[null and void]

SV Ping...

[martin_fierro]

	>> PING <<
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[Suz in AZ]

DUH!!!

[BenLurkin]

Remember — have on hand: Food and one gallon of water per person per day for at least two weeks.

It’s going to go a lot like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xioHswbahPc and it could happen tonight....

[bigheadfred]

The Butterfly Effect 8.0

[Sacajaweau]

I agree...It’s a duh....

[airborne]

Yet another excuse for the "End of the World" crowd here, that sees every earthquake, thunderstorm, flood, snowstorm, heatwave, tornado, hurricane, computer virus, toothache, etc. as proof positive that aliens, government officials, Illuminati, black helicopters, ET's, HAARP, NWO conspirators, etc. are conspiring to bring about the Apocalypse, New World Order, Police State, Rapture, etc.

To paraphrase Sigmund Freud, "Sometimes a quake (cigar) is just a quake (cigar)."

[hellbender]

The major earthquake that hit Alaska in 2002 and set off a flurry of smaller quakes in far-off Yellowstone National Park also altered activity of hydrothermal features there, causing some geysers to go off more often, new research shows

http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=114

[whinecountry]

LOL!!!

[dragnet2]

Amazing what makes for news back in New York...Must be a slow news day.

[bgill]

My cat could have told them that. How much was wasted on this study.

[decimon]

Thanks.

[decimon]

Amazing what makes for news back in New York..

New York?

[JRios1968]

Forget it, he’s on a roll.

[Quix]

Have long believed this.

Of course, many naysayers far and wide have assaulted my sanity and intelligence for believing it.

Didn’t change my convictions any.

Nice to see some confirmation.

[Quix]

Which was, of course,

an excellent example of

the defense mechanism of

RATIONALIZATION . . . for Dr Frud.