Calaveras-Hayward fault link means potentially larger quakes

UC Berkeley seismologists have proven that the Hayward Fault is essentially a branch of the Calaveras Fault that runs east of San Jose, which means that both could rupture together, resulting in a significantly more destructive earthquake than previously thought. The Bay Area fault system and the spot (red star) where the Hayward Fault branches off from the Calaveras Fault. The white lines indicate faults recognized by the USGS. The red line is the newly discovered surface trace connecting the southern end of the Hayward Fault to the Calaveras Fault, once thought to be an independent system. The surface trace is offset by several kilometers from the deep portion of the fault 3-5 km below ground (blue line). (Estelle Chaussard image, UC Berkeley) "The maximum earthquake on a fault is proportional to its length, so by having the two directly connected, we can have a rupture propagating across from one to the other, making a larger quake," said lead researcher Estelle Chaussard, a postdoctoral fellow in the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory. "People have been looking for evidence of this for a long time, but only now do we have the data to prove it." The 70-kilometer-long Hayward Fault is already known as one of the most dangerous in the country because it runs through large population areas from its northern limit on San Pablo Bay at Richmond to its southern end south of Fremont.