Images

USGS geologist Josie Nevitt and geodesist Todd Ericksen collect a sample from the fault zone of the main rupture.

Truck scanning road offset on the base with USGS geologist Josie Nevitt walking along side.

Vertical fault rupture on road with truck.

Highway 178 SW of Trona. Taken earlier in the morning July 6, 2019 after the M7.1 earthquake which struck eastern California, southwest of Searles Valley, near Ridgecrest, CA.

California State Route 178 SW of Trona, following the M7.1 earthquake. Road is now closed for repairs. 

Scientists from USGS & CGS and Navy escort, and a UCLA engineer from the GEER team, inspect ~12 +/- 3 foot high fault scarp with from 3 to 5 feet of right-lateral motion near the expected maximum slip locality along the primary tectonic rupture associated with the M 7.1 event.

Fault scarp at offset access road site. Center line has been offset up and to the right as one looks across the fault towards the east.

Team discussion among CGS and USGS earthquake scientists at the location of the primary surface fault rupture where is has disrupted and offset an access road at the NAWS China Lake. The fault runs NW to SE across the road, which runs from west to east. The east side of the road is uplifted relative to the west side.

Railroad tracks offset right-laterally by about 3 feet; southeast of Hwy. 178.

Right-lateral slip across fractures on a hillside, with shattered ground along the surface fault rupture near Ridgecrest, CA.

CGS and USGS geologists and geophysicists with National Guard and Navy personnel plan next phase of helicopter-supported field investigations on Sat., July 6, 2019 at China Lake NAWS.

USGS scientists and partners review objectives and group assignments  at fault scarp site. The team will deploy seismic instruments to better observe aftershock activity from close in, and to document surface faulting.

USGS Seismologists Alan Yong and Elizabeth Cohcran conduct field work near the main rupture between Trona and Ridgecrest California.

USGS scientist pointing to the fault scarp that shows the fault moved horizontally, as well as laterally.

Fault scarp close to the epicenter. In this location the fault has a main strand where much of the slip occurred, as well as distributed fractures.

A fault offset on California State Route 178 following the Magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Searles Valley on July 4, 2019.

Janis Hernandez (California Geological Survey) measures 18 centimeters of offset across one strand of the fault rupture zone. This measurement was conducted following the Magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Searles Valley on July 4, 2019.

Measurement of fault offset being done by USGS scientist Ken Hudnut, using the offset of a painted road stripe. This measurement was conducted following the Magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Searles Valley on July 4, 2019.

Measurement of fault offset being done by USGS scientist Ken Hudnut, using the offset of a painted road stripe on California State Route 178. This measurement was conducted following the Magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Searles Valley on July 4, 2019.

Measuring a fault offset on California State Route 178. This measurement was conducted following the Magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Searles Valley on July 4, 2019.

A fault offset on California State Route 178 with a pen for scale. This measurement was conducted following the Magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Searles Valley on July 4, 2019.