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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 23 hours 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 16 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 18 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 23 hours 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

[-] MBech@feddit.dk 10 points 1 day ago

Now here comes my big question. In a place where this is somewhat common (where I live we don't get earthquakes), how do you determine propertylines if your neighbors whole house just moved 6 feet?

[-] Orangger@lemmy.zip 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

That is called avulsion, and means you still own that property that moved 6 feet away. This is the USA, but I'm certain it is similar in many places of the world.

It gets real crazy in floods where a big chuck of property can break off and float downstream. If you can find it later that property is still owned by you, just in a new location.

[-] Obi@sopuli.xyz 3 points 23 hours ago

So you're saying I should find a dirt cheap property that's uphill from a coast, and cross my fingers a flood will carry it over to become beach-front and quadruple its value?

[-] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago

Either that, or rising waters will turn it into beachfront property in 10-15 years anyway. You can't lose!

[-] Pronell@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago

How is that something we never caught on video before? Fascinating regardless.

this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2025

131 points (99.2% liked)

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