New Study On Ridgecrest Quake Provides New Understanding On Faultline Activation

RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA - JULY 07: Ridgecrest residents inspect a recent fault rupture following two large earthquakes in the area on July 7, 2019 near Ridgecrest, California. A 6.4 magnitude 'foreshock' on July 4 was followed by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake the next day. The 7.1 magnitude temblor was the largest in Southern California in twenty years. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A 7.1 earthquake jolted the Southland on July 5th this year, the most powerful quake the state had felt in two decades.

A new study from Caltech scientists published today in Science magazine looks at the origin of the Ridgecrest quake and discovers that multiple, smaller faults were responsible for the 7.1 tremor. The finding goes in the face of the traditional understanding that big quakes are created by a single fault.

Larry talks to KPCC’s science reporter Jacob Margolis about the study, as well as the new California earthquake early warning alerts.

GUEST:

Zachary Ross, assistant professor of geophysics at Caltech; lead author of the new study on the Ridgecrest quake published today in the magazine, Science