The fault of the “sleeping” giant under Canada shows a major earthquake potential

After 12 millennia of relative inactivity, a geological flaw that extends over the territory of Yukon, Canada and Alaska now seems capable of producing a major earthquake, according to a new study. The results indicate an under-recognition of seismic danger in northwestern Canada.

Scientists previously thought that the Tintina fault, which extends to around 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) from northeast British Columbia through Yukon and Alaska, remained silent in the 40 million years. These new discoveries, published on July 15 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, dispute this theory. Using high -resolution topographic data, a team of researchers has identified a segment of 81 miles long (130 kilometers) of the Tintine which produced several large earthquakes much more recently. The last one occurred about 12,000 years ago and stress has been based since. When it ultimately breaks, the earthquake could be powerful – potentially exceeding magnitude 7.5.

Such an earthquake would threaten small Yukon communities located near Tintina, especially the city of Dawson, which houses more than 1,500 people. Severe tremors could trigger landslides and damage near motorways and mining infrastructure. Over the past 20 years, there have been a few small earthquakes of magnitude 3 to 4 along the tintin, but no great ruptures, according to Finley. He and his colleagues decided to determine if this fault is able to produce larger earthquakes.

“In the past two years, there has been much more widespread availability of high -resolution topographic data,” Finley told Gizmodo. His team used data collected from satellites, planes and drones to scan the area near the tintin for flawless escarpments. These characteristics form when earthquakes break the surface of the earth, serving as proof of past earthquakes.

The researchers found a series of 81 miles long (130 kilometers long) of faults of flaws passing at less than 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the city of Dawson. To determine the moment of the earthquakes that created them, they observed reliefs left by glacial incursions which occurred by 12,000, 132,000 and 2.6 million years. This revealed that the flaw produced several large earthquakes in the 2.6 million years, probably slipping several meters each time.

However, the reliefs of 12,000 years have not been offset by the fault, indicating that there has been no major breakdown since then. During these millennia, Tintina accumulated a tension at a rate of approximately 0.2 to 0.8 millimeters per year, according to the study. On the basis of this, Finley and her colleagues believe that around 20 feet (6 meters) of total sliding deficit have accumulated.

Finally, the tension of the building will lead to the breakdown of the fault and potentially produce a major earthquake, said Finley. However, this does not mean that this region is in immediate danger. “Although large earthquakes can occur on this fault, they probably occur with several thousand years between them,” said Finley. “It is impossible to say, our current understanding, whether one is imminent or thousands of years.”

However, the possibility of a major Tintina earthquake justifies a review of the seismic risk in northwestern Canada. The country’s national model of seismic risks (NSHM) of the country – which informs the seismic building codes and other safety standards in engineering – does not currently recognize Tintina as a discreet seismogen fault source, according to a UVIC version. The conclusions of Finley will eventually be integrated into the NSHM and shared with local governments and emergency managers to improve the preparation of earthquakes. “What our information is doing is refining the location of the situation of the most important dangers in this model of seismic danger,” he said.