Kennydaswer
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Stretching roughly 240 miles from southern Idaho to central Utah, the Wasatch Fault runs along the western edge of the Wasatch Mountains, cutting through Salt Lake City and other densely populated areas. Classified as a seismically active normal fault, it is a fracture in the Earth's crust that has moved repeatedly over millions of years.
“Normal faults typically form in regions where tectonic plates are pulling apart,” explains Srisharan Shreedharan, a geophysicist at Utah State University. “The Wasatch Fault marks the eastern boundary of the Basin and Range geologic province, a region shaped by long-term stretching and breaking of the crust.”
Shreedharan, an assistant professor in USU’s Department of Geosciences, describes normal faults as two rock blocks where the hanging wall moves downward relative to the footwall. The Wasatch Fault, he notes, dips steeply to the west in the Salt Lake City area—often at angles between 45 and 90 degrees.
Such steep dips might suggest that earthquakes would produce less surface shaking, potentially sparing people and infrastructure from major harm. However, the 2020 Magna earthquake, which struck about nine kilometers beneath the surface near Salt Lake City, caused injuries and nearly $50 million in property damage. The unexpected severity of this event raised new questions about the fault’s behavior at depth.
To explore these questions, Shreedharan collaborated with USU Associate Professor Alexis Ault and doctoral student Jordan Jensen. Their study, published in Geology on April 25, reveals that the fault’s geometry and rock properties may make communities more vulnerable to strong ground shaking than previously believed.
By combining laboratory experiments on rock samples with detailed microscopic analysis, the team discovered that while the fault dips steeply at the surface, it bends into a gentler slope at greater depths. This shallower dip at earthquake-generating depths could make seismic ruptures more efficient at transferring energy to the surface—resulting in stronger shaking during an event.
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The team also found that the rocks within the fault zone are significantly weaker and smoother than the surrounding material. This low-friction behavior stems from ancient deformation processes that occurred more than 1.7 billion years ago, when the rocks lay much deeper in the Earth. Subsequent earthquakes have further weakened the fault over time, increasing the potential for future failure.
“It’s like comparing the slipperiness of ice to the roughness of sand,” says Shreedharan. “Smoother rocks can slip more easily, even along low-angle surfaces, and that’s what seems to be happening beneath our feet—though very slowly.”
These insights not only reshape scientists’ understanding of the Wasatch Fault but also highlight the hidden risks facing Utah’s urban centers. As researchers continue to study the fault’s complex structure, their findings could help improve seismic hazard assessments and inform building codes in the region.
“Normal faults typically form in regions where tectonic plates are pulling apart,” explains Srisharan Shreedharan, a geophysicist at Utah State University. “The Wasatch Fault marks the eastern boundary of the Basin and Range geologic province, a region shaped by long-term stretching and breaking of the crust.”
Shreedharan, an assistant professor in USU’s Department of Geosciences, describes normal faults as two rock blocks where the hanging wall moves downward relative to the footwall. The Wasatch Fault, he notes, dips steeply to the west in the Salt Lake City area—often at angles between 45 and 90 degrees.
Such steep dips might suggest that earthquakes would produce less surface shaking, potentially sparing people and infrastructure from major harm. However, the 2020 Magna earthquake, which struck about nine kilometers beneath the surface near Salt Lake City, caused injuries and nearly $50 million in property damage. The unexpected severity of this event raised new questions about the fault’s behavior at depth.
To explore these questions, Shreedharan collaborated with USU Associate Professor Alexis Ault and doctoral student Jordan Jensen. Their study, published in Geology on April 25, reveals that the fault’s geometry and rock properties may make communities more vulnerable to strong ground shaking than previously believed.
By combining laboratory experiments on rock samples with detailed microscopic analysis, the team discovered that while the fault dips steeply at the surface, it bends into a gentler slope at greater depths. This shallower dip at earthquake-generating depths could make seismic ruptures more efficient at transferring energy to the surface—resulting in stronger shaking during an event.
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The team also found that the rocks within the fault zone are significantly weaker and smoother than the surrounding material. This low-friction behavior stems from ancient deformation processes that occurred more than 1.7 billion years ago, when the rocks lay much deeper in the Earth. Subsequent earthquakes have further weakened the fault over time, increasing the potential for future failure.
“It’s like comparing the slipperiness of ice to the roughness of sand,” says Shreedharan. “Smoother rocks can slip more easily, even along low-angle surfaces, and that’s what seems to be happening beneath our feet—though very slowly.”
These insights not only reshape scientists’ understanding of the Wasatch Fault but also highlight the hidden risks facing Utah’s urban centers. As researchers continue to study the fault’s complex structure, their findings could help improve seismic hazard assessments and inform building codes in the region.