Copyright Information: All images are in the public domain and available for free. If you use this image, credit NOAA/NGDC, Joe Dellinger. |
A corral fence was built across the San Andreas fault at Melendy Ranch, California. The fence is distorted by fault creep. Note the change in vegetation on each side of the fault a few feet behind the man leaning against the fence. Image Credit: Joe Dellinger. Photo Date: May 19, 1990 Seismic creep is the constant or periodic movement on a fault as contrasted with the sudden rupture associated with an earthquake. It is a usually slow deformation of rock resulting from constant stress being applied over a period of time. Sometimes aseismic slip is observed at the ground surface along a ruptured fault that has produced a substantial earthquake. Examples are from the Hollister and Hayward, California, region. Several of the slides are split images of a location, comparing fault movement over the years. |
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