Last week, Point Reyes National Seashore staff installed new up-to-date wayside exhibits on the Earthquake Trail at Bear Valley. Eleven new educational panels provide insights about earthquakes, the San Andreas Fault Zone, and plate tectonics. Located near the park visitor center, the Earthquake Trail is a 0.5 mile walk that brings visitors to the site where the 1906 earthquake created a massive split in the earth’s crust.
The upgrade of the exhibits on the trail is a part of the National Seashore’s upcoming celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Earthquake of 1906. In 2006, several events and other activities will be planned at the park to illustrate the power of earthquakes and their effects on our lives and the landscapes we live in.
The Point Reyes Peninsula is on the edge of the great San Andreas Fault that stretches the entire length of California. At Point Reyes, the fault zone travels down Tomales Bay through the Olema Valley to Bolinas Lagoon. During the Earthquake of 1906, the Point Reyes Peninsula lurched 20 feet northwestward. However, on average the Peninsula moves at an average of 2 inches each year on its long-migration north. Over the course of the last several million years, the park has traveled over 300 miles to the northwest.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
