There is a trail with interpretive signs for anyone interested in visiting this location.
To learn more about Wallace Creek or to use imagery from this location for teaching about faults check out our open access paper “Applications of high-resolution topography in Earth science education”.
Throwback to hanging out at one of the most famous fault locations in the world - Wallace Creek.
The 1st image is of me standing near the current location of the creek on the downstream side of the fault. The 2nd image is a lidar image from OpenTopography of the fault with the location where I’m standing in the 1st image marked by an ❌.
This excellent video from @novapbs talks about earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, including the #earthquake in 1700. Plus, I talk about how earthquakes are like 🍪 so it’s extra sweet 🙂
📺 If you missed it the 1st time, you can tune in tonight (January 8 at 9 ET) to learn more about the San Andreas and Cascadia Subduction zone.
You’ll also see some familiar faces, including me and @seis_matters! 🤗
This data is from Station Monitor, which is available as a free app or webpage from @EarthScope_sci.
Click on any seismic station to see near real time seismic data!
Always check the scale! Seismic waves attenuate, or get smaller, as they move away from the quake location, so unless you are close to the earthquake you won’t be able to feel any shaking BUT seismometers will be able to measure the slight movement.
The waves from the M7.0 earthquake near Vanuatu are passing under me on the east coast of the US right now!
Look carefully at the scale on the 2nd image - by the time they reach VA these waves are about 1/2 the width of a human hair (too small to feel).
Image 1: seismic data from a seismic station near Fredericksburg, VA.
Image 2: more information about the seismic waves recorded at that station, and the distance between the station and the earthquake.
Image 3: seismic station location.
There was a M7.0 near Vanuatu today.
This area is REALLY seismically active - in fact, 5 of the 11 M7+ quakes of 2022 occurred in this region.
The eastern margin of the Australia plate is so sesimically active due to high rates of convergence (slamming together) between the Australia and Pacific plates. You can view earthquakes in this area (and around the world) in 3D using the IRIS Earthquake Browser, like I’ve done here.
