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First video of an earthquake fault cracking has revealed another surprise (www.livescience.com)

submitted 1 day ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/earthscience@mander.xyz

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A first-of-its-kind video showing the ground cracking during a major earthquake is even more remarkable than previously thought. It not only captures a ground motion never caught on video before but also shows the crack curving as it moves.

This curvy movement has been inferred from the geological record and from "slickenlines" — scrape marks on the sides of faults — but it had never been seen in action, geophysicist Jesse Kearse, a postdoctoral researcher currently at Kyoto University in Japan, said in a statement.

"Instead of things moving straight across the video screen, they moved along a curved path that has a convexity downwards, which instantly started bells ringing in my head," Kearse said, "because some of my previous research has been specifically on curvature of fault slip, but from the geological record."

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[-] Bubs@lemmy.zip 31 points 1 day ago

The video in question

My stupid brain was focusing on the driveway in front of the camera and was confused at how this video was anything important. Then I finally noticed it behind the fence on the right. It's almost terrifying. The whole ground moves several feet it looks like. Jesus Christ.

[-] liquefy4931@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

2.5 meters (8.5 feet)! Not only that, watch further in the distance past the posts and the potted plant: As the rupture progresses, the entire surface dips slightly and then rises in an almost whip-like fashion.

Crazy to consider: What if you were, within 1.3 seconds, moved 2.5 meters to your left right now?

[-] snek_boi@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

An even wilder thought experiment: what if your left leg was in one side of the fault and your right leg was on the other?

[-] GraniteM@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago

And what if your feet were nailed to the ground?!

[-] kalkulat@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yeh! I first saw this weeks ago and missed all but the motion on the right. Keep an eye on the right side of that building across the road - yowsah!

[-] Narwhalrus@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

Here's an annotated video by one of the Authors of the paper this article references that helped me understand what was going on here.

https://youtu.be/dbEYe65eDdw

[-] snek_boi@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

Maybe it’s just me or maybe you forgot to link the video?

[-] Narwhalrus@lemmy.world 1 points 18 hours ago

Nope. I'm just an idiot. Fixed now.

[-] Jackhammer_Joe@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

What an amazing video! The energy that's set free there is incredible.

Must feel nice for mother earth to stretch and feel relieved afterwards

this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2025

131 points (99.2% liked)

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