Little-known fault suspected in Northern California quake - SFGate

Little-known fault suspected in Northern California quake - SFGate: "(08-24) 19:50 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The earthquake that rolled through the Bay Area and beyond Sunday is suspected of striking along a little-known section of the West Napa Fault in the seismically active North Bay region, where parallel faults have been rupturing for millions of years, scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Scientists said early-detection equipment had sent out alerts of imminent ground shaking to distant locations, raising the possibility that a more extensive system could one day give precious seconds of warning that would save lives.

A network of seismographs maintained by the USGS and UC Berkeley indicated that the quake ruptured underground at a depth of 6.7 miles - typical for temblors in the Bay Area. The Geological Survey said late Sunday that the magnitude was 6.0, though at times during the day it said the quake had been measured at 6.1."



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