Landers Rupture

During the Landers earthquake, the two sides of the fault moved mostly sideways relative to one another, with a small additional component of vertical motion in some areas.  When faults break horizontally through a sparsely populated part of the desert, it can be difficult to tell how much movement occurred.  Structures such as this fence, built across one of the faults that broke, provide a clear indication of the offset (Photograph: Susan E. Hough, USGS)