Ridgecrest Trip for Geo Class

Hoping this is ok to post and ask about, and it's in the right forum.
Does anyone know of any areas in Ridgecrest and/or Trona that still show the damage from the 7.1 quake last year? I'm a Geology major working on an ArcGis presentation and I'd love to head up there and get some pics in person. I know the 178 was wrecked, but I'm assuming its been fixed by now. This presentation ties into a larger paper I'm writing about the Garlock fault.
I'd like to turn it into a 2-3 day trip with camping and hitting some trails too, because I rarely get up past Barstow these days.
Any info much appreciated!

 

Nerd alert.....sorry that's more for me than you. I geek out for earthquakes. I'm a UC Davis Alumunus and I switched from geology to environmental work. I still stop for quakes.

I went on July 6 last year and the majority of the rupture was inside China Lake NAWS, so you're out of luck to see the fun stuff. However, the rupture did go to the south of the 178 before stopping and I'm assuming went underneath the ridge. It's as if the Garlock fault stopped any further surface rupture. The surface rupture was within the red circle in the attached screen shot.

I can send you more photos and info tonight, but I have to get back to work now.

 

Subbed for interest!

 

@anonemoose Has been keeping up on earthquake activity out there.

 

Please by all means nerd away! I’m opposite you – Env Sci major switching to Geology.

When reviewing USGS maps, I found that the break from the 6.4 quake traveled NE to SW. The 7.1 quake broke opposite, NW to SE. There’s a distinct pattern, you can see the turn it created like the left half of an “X”. It’s such a clean breakage, it’s incredible. Where that turn is in the breakage, or where the two faults cross, is ideally what I’d like to find. I can’t find any gps markers to pinpoint it though, just a general area.


That’s what I was afraid of – most of the viewable tears/scarp being on the base and therefore inaccessible.

There’s also a tear in the Mojave where the ground shifted 13’ – the screen shot below shows it, and I’ve been scouring Google Earth to try to find this road shown. No dice though so far.


Like I said, I plan on making this a 2-3 day trip to camp and wheel as well. I'm not opposed to hiking out a bit to find these areas even though I'm sure it's gonna be hot as hell.

I'll also be ok if all I can find "in-person" is surface road damage or minimal scarp - a year later erosion has erased a lot, I'm sure. There are plenty of photos online I can grab, but I'd love to see it in person. And also have an excuse to camp and hit some trails haha

Any more info you can share with me would be awesome! Greatly appreciated!

 

Are you sure you're ready for the Great Nerding?

 

I ain't escared! I might learn something!

 

I like the cut of your jib, sir

 

Google it It's a compliment.

 

Aww... you're sweet! Thank you!

I felt the Ridgecrest quake. I was seated and I started rocking back and fourth. It was mellow, but lasted for a bit.

 

I'm in San Marcos. I couldn't tell if my neighbors were stomping around extra hard for 10 seconds, or if it was something more. I remember the Easter quake we had years ago though, that shit cracked the sidewalk in front of the apartment I was living in at the time.

That Easter quake originated outside of the US though. The Ridgecrest quake, part of the Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence, was one of the largest in CA to date. It becomes even more interesting when you factor in that the Garlock Fault is very new to us - unlike most of the other faults in CA, it moves left-lateral (west to east) - the land on the other side of the fault moves left if you're facing it. Land north of the fault moves west, south of it moves east. Here's a link to show this happening:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-07-22/ridgecrest-earthquake-images-broken-ground

The amount of land displaced by the 7.1 quake (aka the "main event") is incredible. Consider the amount/surface of land that the earth just decided "you know what, I want to move this 13' this way".

Aseismic Creep is real. No, not the name of my ex. But it would make an awesome punk band name.

 

i found this interesting...this guy finds surface evidence of where the two faults intersect northeast of ridgecrest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I44Bco7OZX0

 

Sub’d

loved geology when I took it in college. This is fascinating stuff.

 

Geology FTW! Learning about plate tectonics changed my life. It's right up there with evolution and relativity.

I've got family in Ridgecrest. I hear they have more per capita PhDs than any other area in the country but there's nothing out there!

Good luck with your project.

 

WOW! That Times article you linked is fascinating! And kinda scary! I bet we are in for more action from the Garlock Fault.
If you get out this way you might consider having a look at the 1872 scarp outside Lone Pine. It is something to see, if you haven't already.

 

@Samus the 13' displacement is inside of China Lake. Here is the GPS coordinates for the photo you included. 35.722584,-117.572366.

 

His videos have helped me a lot with my findings, and I can definitely use his resources for my presentation! I think he's on the Base though, so I can't actually get to those places on my own. Still, he breaks everything down really well and has awesome info

 

That Times article barely brushes the surface of these faults. Like I said before, the amount of force active here is incredible. I'm surprised you haven't heard more about the Garlock Fault; lately the media has been latching onto it because it increases the likelihood of a San Andres quake by "X" percent. We'll likely see more movement from Garlock before that happens though.

I studied the Lone Pine scarp back in my sophomore year, it was one of my tipping points leading me to Geology from Env Sci

 

Math and geology major, until the NSA decided they had better use of my skills...

Been in too many big ones, Turkey in 1969, Japan 1971, LA Northridge, SF Bay Loma Preiata, still don't buy eq insurance....Oh down in an old mine near the White Mountains east of Lone Pine, spring break 1968 Split Mountain Gorge.

@Hobbs and me are about 200 feet from fault that was last active within 150 years.