Bay Area Fault System

The most dangerous fault in the U.S. is home to the complicates bay area fault system; the Hayward fault. The area surrounding the Hayward fault has a very high population density and a major earthquake along this fault could have deviating results. Since the 1868 Hayward fault earthquake, evidence of creeping has become very apparent along different areas on the fault. This evidence is proof that stress and energy is building in the fault and is ready to be released at any moment.

They San Francisco bay area is no stranger to earthquakes. Studies have shown that earthquakes have been shaking this region since the beginning of time. The North American and the Pacific plates make up the San Andreas fault zone, however, they used to be separated
It branches off of the Calaveras fault in the city of Fremont then runs through the east bay and disappears underneath San Pablo Bay. Back in 1868, this fault cause a very large earthquake. It caused severe damage to towns throughout the bay area, especially Hayward, San Leandro, and Fremont, and killed about 30 people (2010). Today, the bay area is home to three million more people. With such a high population density throughout the bay area, another large earthquake could cause even more damage. The fault runs through major freeways, public transportation services, and many neighborhoods. It is estimated to result in the deaths of hundreds of people and cause more than $120 billion in damage (Alden, 2016). This is why the Hayward fault is suspected to be the most dangerous fault in all of the United
What the picture doesn’t show is that there are actually several cracks in the pavement in the area around the fault. When following the cracked pavement and fault line, the fault leads straight into a building. On the outside of this building, there are also cracks in the wall right where the fault intersects the building. Like the previous sites, both pieces of evidence show right lateral creeping of the Pacific plate. In this photo, a fence has been parted by the Hayward fault in the outskirts of the city of Hayward (37°38’37” N, 122°03’18” W). The fence was put up with the property line was established in 1858. The gap between the separated fences reaches about 4 feet. This gap is a result of right lateral creeping as well as a slip that probably occurred during the 1868 earthquake. This final image shows a channel along a hillside in Union City that has been offset by the Hayward fault (37°37’34” N, 122°02’11” W). This channel has been shifted about 400 feet by the fault. This is one of the larger slips that can be seen along the fault. Like the fence in the previous example, much of this slip most likely occurred during the 1868 earthquake. When observing the area around the channel, it can be seen how the fault has influenced the formation of this hillside. There are ridges in the hillside along the fault’s