California Earthquakes Along San Andres Fault May Be Triggered By Ancient Lakes

Researchers have discovered that ancient rising lakes may trigger California earthquakes along the San Andres fault line.
The new study, published Wednesday in Nature, investigated earthquake activity along the southern San Andreas fault and found that six significant earthquakes on the fault line occurred when the prehistoric Lake Cahuilla was rising.
Collecting field data from rocks near the fault, Hill and his colleagues found earthquakes occurred about every 180 years, give or take 40 years, and coincided with the high water levels of the nearby ancient Lake Cahuilla.
Data gathered by Ryley Hill, coauthor of the study and graduate student at the University of California San Diego, shows the lack of seismic activity may be due to the drying of the nearby Salton Sea and provides clues on future potential earthquake triggers, including projects aimed to refill the body of water….