San Andreas Fault at Parkfield
(c) 2003 Andrew Alden, licensed to About.com, Inc. (fair use policy)
The great San Andreas fault runs through Parkfield, halfway between Los Angeles (on the Pacific plate) and San Francisco (on the North American plate). The U.S. Geological Survey has a long-term quake-catching project centered here, the SAFOD program, and scientists visit the tiny, remote ranching village regularly. In this part of the state, the fault moves by quiet creep as well as the usual jerky motions that cause earthquakes. This unusual feature, plus the lack of ground noise from human activity, makes it an attractive research site.
The solemn pranksters of E Clampus Vitus came in 1995 and placed this "broken" marker in a pocket park across from the general store. The right half says, "The 12.4-foot separation between the two portions of this monument represents the fault movement that has occurred since the modern revival of the ancient order of E Clampus Vitus at the Cliff House, San Francisco, in 1931. At this rate of movement Los Angeles will slip past San Francisco in approximately 31.5 million years and Parkfield will then be a seaside community."
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