SURFACE RUPTURE

Fault ruptures commonly occur in the

deep
subsurface
with
no
ground
breakage at the surface

Surface fault rupture associated with the El Asnam (Algeria) earthquake on

October 10, 1980. (Photograph from the Godden Collection, EERC, University of
California, Berkeley.)

Surface fault rupture

associated with the
Izmit
(Turkey)
earthquake on August
17, 1999. (Photograph
by Tom
Fumal, USGS.)

 Fault displacement;
relative movement of the two sides of a fault,
measured in a specific direction (Bonilla 1970).
11 m (35 ft) of vertical displacement in the
Assam earthquake of 1897.
9 m (29 ft) of horizontal movement during the
Gobi-Altai earthquake of 1957.

length of surface faulting in the 1964

Alaskan earthquake varied from 600 to
720 km

Damage Caused by Surface

Rupture

Overview of a dam damaged by surface fault rupture associated with the Chi-chi
(Taiwan) earthquake on September 21, 1999. (Photograph from the Taiwan
Collection, EERC, University of California, Berkeley.)

REGIONAL SUBSIDENCE
In addition to the surface fault
rupture,
another
tectonic
effect
associated with the earthquake could
be uplifting or regional subsidence.
A graben is defined as a crustal block
that has dropped down relative to
adjacent rocks along bounding faults.

LIQUEFACTION
subsurface soil condition that is
susceptible to liquefaction is loose
sand, with a groundwater table near
ground surface.

Sand boil in Niigata caused by liquefaction during the Niigata (Japan)

earthquake of June 16, 1964. (Photograph from the Steinbrugge Collection,
EERC, University of California, Berkeley.)