When you arrive at this location each range will be visible, even on a foggy day. If it is clear, you will notice something obviously different about each range. What is it? What could have caused these visible differences?
Running below the Santa Cruz Mountains, to the west, is the well-known San Andreas Fault. Below the Diablo range, to the east, is the Hayward Fault. The risk is high for another great quake in this region in the next 30 years. According to the United States Geological Survey, the Hayward (and Rogers Creek Fault, just north of the Hayward Fault) has the highest probability of slipping in the next 30 years. Before 2032, experts predict a 27% chance of a magnitude 6.7 quake.
Look out over the undisturbed marshland. The sandy, silty environment of the region in between the two ranges makes it especially susceptible to what is known as 'soil liquification.' Soil liquification (or liquefaction) is a phenomenon which occurs in response to stresses -- such as an earthquake or cycles of earh shaking. Soil liquification can lead to a quicksand effect. This quicksand can lead to land instability. One positive aspect of soil liquification is the tendency for the earthquake shaking to be dampened for the remainder of the earthquake.
The California coast mountain ranges were formed by subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the western boarder of North America. These coastal ranges are folded and faulted, and have created the ridges and valleys characteristic of California. What might result when earthquakes occur in this region of California? How might the mountain ranges be changed? How will the Bayland react to the earthquakes and shakes?
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