New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Geologists Find Hidden Active Strands Of The Seattle Fault Zone

Date:
February 12, 2002
Source:
Geological Society Of America
Summary:
The Seattle fault zone is geologically complex and is known to have caused destructive earthquakes. It lies beneath Seattle and Bellevue, but most of it is hidden beneath glacial deposits, forests, water, and urban development.
Share:
FULL STORY

The Seattle fault zone is geologically complex and is known to have caused destructive earthquakes. It lies beneath Seattle and Bellevue, but most of it is hidden beneath glacial deposits, forests, water, and urban development.

Richard Blakely and colleagues from the U.S. Geological Survey used the Earth’s magnetic field, measured from a low-flying airplane, to map potentially dangerous areas of the Seattle fault zone. They report their findings in the February issue of the Geological Society of America Bulletin.

The aeromagnetic anomalies reveal three strands of the fault zone extending from Bremerton to east of Lake Washington. “We’ve known for many years that the Seattle fault exists and is dangerous, but now we have an idea of its location,” Blakely said.

Blakely has also conducted detailed ground magnetic studies of the Seattle fault zone in the Bellevue area and plans to present those results at the Geological Society of America’s Cordilleran meeting May 13-15 in Corvallis, Oregon.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Geological Society Of America. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

Geological Society Of America. "Geologists Find Hidden Active Strands Of The Seattle Fault Zone." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 February 2002. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/02/020211080726.htm>.
Geological Society Of America. (2002, February 12). Geologists Find Hidden Active Strands Of The Seattle Fault Zone. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 4, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/02/020211080726.htm
Geological Society Of America. "Geologists Find Hidden Active Strands Of The Seattle Fault Zone." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/02/020211080726.htm (accessed October 4, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES