Earthquake Storms

The lives ofmillions will be changed after it breaks, and yet so few people understand it,or even realize it runs through their backyard. Dvorak reveals the San AndreasFault’s fascinating history—and its volatile future.

It is a prominent geological feature that is almostimpossible to see unless you know where to look. Hundreds of thousands ofpeople drive across it every day. The San Andreas Fault is everywhere—andprimed for a colossal quake. For decades scientists have warned that such asudden shifting of the earth’s crust is inevitable. In fact, it is a geologicnecessity.

The San Andreas Fault runs almost the entire length ofCalifornia, from the redwood forest to the east edge of the Salton Sea. Alongthe way, it passes through two of the largest urban areas of the country—SanFrancisco and Los Angeles. Dozens of major highways and interstates cross it.Scores of housing developments have been planted over it. The words SanAndreas are so familiar today that they have become synonymous with earthquake.

Yet few people understand the San Andreas or the network ofsubsidiary faults it has spawned. Some run through Hollywood, others throughBeverly Hills and Santa Monica. The Hayward Fault slices the football stadiumat the University of California in half. Even among scientists, few appreciatethat the San Andreas Fault is a transient, evolving system that, as seen today,is younger than the Grand Canyon and key to our understanding of earthquakesworldwide.