The Big One! This Could Trigger The Next Massive Earthquake Along California’s San Andreas Fault

- A possible explanation for this delayed quake is the disappearance of Lake Cahuilla over the fault. For millennia, this lake formed when the Colorado river shifted course and dried up when it shifted back. But the lake last dried out near the end of the 18th century and the floods that might have refilled it are now prevented by dams on the river. Before the lake vanished, its added weight, as well as water seeping from it, could have increased the pressure of fluid within the fault. Hill says this could have reduced friction between the fault surfaces, like the air between an air hockey table and a puck. However, until now it was unclear whether this would have been enough to trigger a major earthquake on the southern San Andreas. To find out more, Hill and his colleagues studied layers of sediment from a site near the edge of the lake site, attempting to identify periods when the lake was full. They discovered that six of the seven major earthquakes in the area over the past 1100 years occurred close to the time when the lake was filled. The seventh quake, which happened around 1000 years ago, might have also occurred when the lake was filled, but its precise date was too ambiguous to be sure, says Hill. #Breaking #News #Earthquake #California #SanAndreas #TheBigOne Learn More: Your Support of Independent Media Is Appreciated. Socials~ KICK- DLive- Instagram- DAHBOO777 UWN Facebook-