Scientists Warn Newly Discovered Fault Could Burst Dam, Destroy Reno And Kill Hundreds of Thousands

Scientists Fear A Newly Discovered Fault line In California Is At Risk Of Triggering A Massive 6.9 Earthquake, Which Would Burst A Dam Only 200 Yards Away Triggering Massive Flooding That Could Drown Thousands Including The Nearby City Of Reno Nevada.

Scientist from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers using laser imaging technology have discovered a new fault line just 200 yards away from the Martis Creek Dam in California.

They are warning if the fault shifts it could trigger a massive 6.9 earthquake that would burst the dam unleashing flood waters that would destroy thousands of homes in the area with the potential to flood the nearby city of Reno, Nevada.

The Army Corps of Engineers, who are often blamed for failures leading the Hurricane Katrina floodings in New Orleans, own the dam and say they are taking measures to mitigate any risk of an earthquake.

The Daily Mail reports:

Scientists discover new California quake fault that could burst dam and drown thousands

Polaris Fault could trigger 6.9-magnitude earthquake 
• Martis Creek Dam could burst if fault moves
• Gambling city Reno, 33 miles away, is at risk of flood
  

A new earthquake-producing fault has been discovered in California – to the surprise of scientists who thought they had found all of the state’s seismic danger spots.

The Polaris line, at only 22 miles long, is a dwarf compared to the San Andreas Fault, which stretches 800 miles and has triggered some of the world’s biggest tremors.

But, worryingly, it could be powerful enough to cause an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale and flood a valley by smashing a dam.

It was a 7.0-magnitude quake that devastated Haiti last year, killing 222,000 people to date.

If it broke, the Martis Creek Dam has the potential to deluge the homes of 16,000 people in nearby Truckee and flood waters could travel 35 miles to Reno, Nevada, where 220,000 people live.

Experts already knew of two faults near the structure, which is one of 10 American dams classified as having ‘urgent and compelling’ safety concerns.

But this latest discovery has dumbfounded geologists from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who found the fault using laser imaging technology known as LiDAR.

Used from an aeroplane, the system emits laser pulses down toward the ground to get high-resolution topology maps.

Once the layer of heavy pine trees was stripped of the maps, the experts found evidence of the fault sitting just 200 yards from the dam.
[...]
‘We feel very confident it’s within our range for being active,’ Dr Hunter added. 

The fault could produce an earthquake with up to a 6.5 to 6.9 magnitude, according to the study published in the June issue of the Bulletin of Seismological Society of America.

[...]

Due to the risk of a rupture from another fault that runs directly under Martis Creek Dam, the Corps, which owns the structure, already keep water levels as low as possible.

But since the Polaris sits between the dam and its spillway, if the levels were higher than usual, a very big earthquake could potentially flood parts of gambling mecca Reno.

[...]

HOW DANGEROUS IS POLARIS?

California is one of the most seismically active regions in the world thanks to the 800-mile San Andreas Fault, which it sits on.

The Polaris Fault, named after a former mining town that it runs through, is just a fraction of its size at 22 miles long.

But it is located near the Martis Creek Dam at Truckee and as such risks busting the structure open and potentially flooding a plane that stretches 35 miles to Reno, Nevada – a city of some 222,000 people.

Thankfully, the last time it shifted and caused an earthquake was 15,000 years ago. However, this is recent enough for it to be considered active.

The fault could produce an earthquake with up to a 6.5 to 6.9 magnitude, according to the study published in the June issue of the Bulletin of Seismological Society of America.

And because the fault connects to two others near the dam, the magnitude could be even higher if they ruptured at the same time.

But with the San Andreas Fault one day potentially causing what Californians call the ‘Big One’ – a megathrust quake that could obliterate the entire state – the comparatively tiny is unlikely to worry residents of the Golden State too much.

Source: The Daily Mail

Danger: The Polaris Fault is shown in detail along a 22-mile stretch in California

Flood plane: The Martis Creek Dam, which could burst if the fault shifts

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