Sawtooth Fault facts for kids
The Sawtooth Fault is a special crack in the Earth's crust that runs along the eastern side of the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, United States. Think of it like a giant seam in the ground where two huge blocks of rock meet. This fault is a "normal fault," which means that when it moves, one block of rock slides down past the other. It's like a big up-and-down motion!
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Discovering the Sawtooth Fault
Scientists from Idaho State University, led by Glenn Thackray, found the Sawtooth Fault in 2010. They used a cool technology called LIDAR. LIDAR uses lasers to create detailed 3D maps of the ground. This helped them see tiny changes in the land that showed where the fault was hidden.
How Big Can Earthquakes Be?
The scientists learned that the Sawtooth Fault is very long, about 40 mi (64 km) (or 64 kilometers). It stretches near towns like Stanley, Idaho and beautiful places like Redfish Lake. They also figured out that this fault could cause a really strong earthquake, possibly as big as magnitude 7.5! That's a powerful shake!
Past Earthquakes on the Fault
The researchers found clues that two big earthquakes probably happened on the Sawtooth Fault a long, long time ago. One was about 7,000 years ago, and another was around 4,000 years ago. These events show that the fault has been active in the past. If a big earthquake happened on this fault today, people in cities like Boise could feel the ground shaking.
The 2020 Central Idaho Earthquake
On March 31, 2020, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake happened in central Idaho. It was about 16 kilometers (10 miles) north-northeast of the Sawtooth Fault. Even though it was close, scientists believe this earthquake was not on the Sawtooth Fault itself.
Different Kinds of Fault Movement
How do they know? The 2020 earthquake had a different kind of movement. It was a "strike-slip" earthquake, which means the ground moved mostly side-to-side. Remember, the Sawtooth Fault is a "normal fault," which moves up-and-down. So, even though the 2020 quake was nearby, it was caused by a different crack in the Earth's crust with a different type of motion.
