Damage from two powerful earthquakes of magnitudes-6.4 and 7.1 respectively which rattled Southern California on July 4 and July 5 is visible from space, NASA maps have revealed. The earthquakes’ epicentre was close to the city of Ridgecrest, 150 miles (241km) northeast of Los Angeles. US Geological Survey (USGS) data suggests the magnitude-7.1 quake was one of the largest to hit the region in some 40 years.
Now, using a particularly powerful high-tech instrument orbiting Earth, US space agency NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has shared a striking look at the scars the earthquakes left behind.
The NASA Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) team used sophisticated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the ALOS-2 satellite to produce a map showing surface displacement from the California earthquakes.
The post-earthquake imagery was acquired on Monday, July 8 and compared with April 2018 data from the same area.
Each colour cycle – from yellow to yellow for example – represents 12cm (4.8 inches) of ground displacement either toward or away from the satellite.
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The linear features cutting the colour fringes in the southeast indicate likely locations of surface rupture caused by the earthquakes.
And the “noisy” areas in the northwest indicates where the ground surface was disturbed.
The USGS has reported more than 1,000 aftershocks in the region following the July 5 earthquake.
Seismologists, including those from the California Geological Survey and USGS, are using this surface deformation map to assess the damages and map the faults that broke during the two major earthquakes as well as the thousands of aftershocks.
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In addition to mapping the earthquakes, NASA’s Earth Science Disasters Program is working with the California Earthquake Clearinghouse to coordinate response efforts with the California Air National Guard, the USGS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
NASA analysts are using data from satellites to produce visualisations of land deformation and potential landslides, among other earthquake impacts, and are making them available to response agencies.
The NASA satellite images are not the only views of the earthquakes visible from space.
Analysts from Planet Labs’ Doves satellite system have also shared shocking views of the California earthquake damage.
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The before-and-after images come from July 4 and July 6 and show a significant surface rupture near the earthquakes’ epicentre.
This kind of rupture occurs when the ground offsets during an earthquake and resembles a slash cut into the earth.
Planet Labs CEO Will Marshall’s image also pointed out an area of dewatering, which occurs when water and sediment spews from the ground due to an earthquake’s intense shaking action.
The USGS is also making use of satellite imagery to help investigate the recent earthquake activity.
