The Most Dangerous Fault in America: The Hayward Fault

Alexandria, VA - When people think of dangerous faults in America, the San Andreas probably comes to mind first. However, another potentially greater threat lurks in the East Bay region of Northern California, just a stone’s throw from San Francisco and the tech hub of Silicon Valley: the Hayward Fault. In the June issue, EARTH Magazine guest author Steven Newton lays out just what is at risk, and what to expect when an earthquake strikes on what may be the most dangerous fault in America.

Vestiges of the Hayward Fault’s perpetual motion are everywhere: Offset sidewalk curbs, cracking roads and homes, and even cracks in the University of California -Berkeley’s football stadium show the fault’s location and remind geologists of the impending hazard. In 2015, the Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities determined that there was a 72% chance of an earthquake here within the next 30 years, and one that could measure a magnitude 6.7 or even greater.

EARTH looks at how much the area has changed since the last quake hit in 1868 and what we’ve learned since then about the fault. Find out what has been done to prevent substantial losses to the local infrastructure, economy, and most importantly, population, in this issue of EARTH Magazine: hittp://bit.ly/25bEZN8.

EARTH Magazine’s June Issue is now available at www.earthmagazine.org. Travel through Turkey’s Turquoise Coast and discover the geology behind the scenery in this month’s “Travels in Geology,’ and explore the seafloor in high definition, as geoscientists discover new aspects of Earth’s own underwater landscape, and much more in EARTH Magazine.

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH Magazine online at: www.earthmagazine.org. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for science behind the headlines.