Objectives - San Andreas Fault Zone Observatory at Depth Testing
Fundamental Theories of Earthquake Mechanics: The San Andreas
Fault Observatory at Depth The San Andreas Fault Observatory at
Depth (SAFOD) is a component of EarthScope. EarthScope will
investigate the structure and evolution of the North American
continent and the physical processes controlling earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions. EarthScope is funded by the National Science
Foundation and conducted in partnership with the US Geological
Survey. SAFOD is motivated by the need to answer fundamental
questions about the physical and chemical processes controlling
faulting and earthquake generation within a major plate-bounding
fault. SAFOD will drill and instrument an inclined borehole
across the San Andreas Fault Zone to a depth of 3.2 km,
targeting a repeating microearthquake source. The drill site is
located west of the vertical San Andreas Fault on a segment of
the fault that moves through a combination of aseismic creep and
repeating microearth