Scientists at Rice University and the University of California, Berkeley have discovered a new earthquake-generating fault system at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near the West Coast. This is reported by Science Alert.
During the four-day experiment, the researchers used the Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS) 19-kilometer deep-sea cable network to record underwater earthquakes. Devices that emit flashes of light were attached to the ends of the fiber optic cables. In aftershocks, light is scattered and reflected by the optical fiber back onto the devices. The equipment was installed during cable maintenance.
Observations of rock displacements have shown that between the San Andreas and San Gregorio faults there is an unknown system of faults, which is significantly smaller than the first ones. Researchers also recorded a magnitude 3.5 tremor in the northern California city of Gilroy.
The new technology could be used to study other hazardous areas on the ocean floor, as well as tsunami warning. However, convenient systems like MARS are rare and expensive to use. So, the cost of MARS reaches $ 13.5 million.