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Economic Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Economic Times
What is the Tintina fault in Canada - nation's silent giant that could unleash massive destruction?
Live Events FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel For over 40 million years, the Tintina fault in Canada's Yukon Territory was thought to be a sleeping geological giant, as per a report. But a new study from the University of Victoria (UVic) indicates that it might not be inactive as the seismic threat could produce one of the nation's strongest earthquakes, as per a Scitechdaily almost 1,000 kilometres through northwestern Canada, the Tintina fault has slid sideways by some 450 kilometres since it formed, according to the report. Scientists thought that until recently, it had long since given up any major activity, but a new examination of the terrain around Dawson City, employing topographic data from the ArcticDEM dataset from satellite images, light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys conducted with aeroplanes and drones, has found something disturbing, as reported by latest research found that a 130-kilometre portion of the fault near Dawson City showed signs of many big earthquakes during the Quaternary Period, which spans from the past 2.6 million years to the present, as reported by Scitechdaily. This means that the fault may still be active and capable of producing significant future earthquakes, according to the Finley, a recent UVic PhD graduate and lead author of an article in Geophysical Research Letters, pointed out that 'Over the past couple of decades, there have been a few small earthquakes of magnitude 3 to 4 detected along the Tintina fault, but nothing to suggest it is capable of large ruptures,' as quoted in the Scitechdaily added that 'The expanding availability of high-resolution data prompted us to re-examine the fault, looking for evidence of prehistoric earthquakes in the landscape,' as quoted in the in most of Canada, seismic hazard estimates are known with the help of historical earthquake records, such as Indigenous oral histories, archived documents, and readings from modern seismic networks, as reported by Scitechdaily. However, major faults can remain quiet for thousands of years between large earthquakes, so that means some important seismic risks may go undetected without geological investigation, as reported by the Scitechdaily Scitechdaily report explained that when earthquakes are large and/or shallow, they often rupture the Earth's surface and produce a linear feature in the landscape, which is known as a fault found ancient glacial landforms, some as old as 2.6 million years, have been pushed sideways by about 1,000 meters along the Tintina Fault, as per the report. While other formations, about 132,000 years old, were displaced by 75 meters, as reported by Scitechdaily. These shifts are signs that the fault has moved multiple times over the past few million years, each time likely slipping several meters during powerful earthquakes, according to the Scitechdaily the landforms, which are about 12,000 years old, are not offset by the fault, which shows that no large ruptures have occurred since that time, as per the report. The fault continues to accumulate strain at an average rate of 0.2 to 0.8 millimetres per year, which means that it poses a future earthquake threat, as reported by highlighted that, 'We determined that future earthquakes on the Tintina fault could exceed magnitude 7.5,' as quoted in the report. The researcher explained that, 'Based on the data, we think that the fault may be at a relatively late stage of a seismic cycle, having accrued a slip deficit, or build-up of strain, of six meters in the last 12,000 years. If this were to be released, it would cause a significant earthquake,' as quoted by the Tintina Fault were to unleash a magnitude 7.5 earthquake or anything stronger, it could shake Dawson City with serious force, with tremors that wouldn't just rattle buildings, they could disrupt major highways and threaten vital mining operations that the region relies on, as per the research suggests it might still be active, despite being considered dormant for millions of years, as per the Scitechdaily runs about 1,000 km across northwestern Canada, passing near Dawson City in the Yukon Territory, as per the Scitechdaily report.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
What is the Tintina fault in Canada - nation's silent giant that could unleash massive destruction?
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel For over 40 million years, the Tintina fault in Canada's Yukon Territory was thought to be a sleeping geological giant, as per a report. But a new study from the University of Victoria (UVic) indicates that it might not be inactive as the seismic threat could produce one of the nation's strongest earthquakes, as per a Scitechdaily almost 1,000 kilometres through northwestern Canada, the Tintina fault has slid sideways by some 450 kilometres since it formed, according to the report. Scientists thought that until recently, it had long since given up any major activity, but a new examination of the terrain around Dawson City, employing topographic data from the ArcticDEM dataset from satellite images, light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys conducted with aeroplanes and drones, has found something disturbing, as reported by latest research found that a 130-kilometre portion of the fault near Dawson City showed signs of many big earthquakes during the Quaternary Period, which spans from the past 2.6 million years to the present, as reported by Scitechdaily. This means that the fault may still be active and capable of producing significant future earthquakes, according to the Finley, a recent UVic PhD graduate and lead author of an article in Geophysical Research Letters, pointed out that 'Over the past couple of decades, there have been a few small earthquakes of magnitude 3 to 4 detected along the Tintina fault, but nothing to suggest it is capable of large ruptures,' as quoted in the Scitechdaily added that 'The expanding availability of high-resolution data prompted us to re-examine the fault, looking for evidence of prehistoric earthquakes in the landscape,' as quoted in the in most of Canada, seismic hazard estimates are known with the help of historical earthquake records, such as Indigenous oral histories, archived documents, and readings from modern seismic networks, as reported by Scitechdaily. However, major faults can remain quiet for thousands of years between large earthquakes, so that means some important seismic risks may go undetected without geological investigation, as reported by the Scitechdaily Scitechdaily report explained that when earthquakes are large and/or shallow, they often rupture the Earth's surface and produce a linear feature in the landscape, which is known as a fault found ancient glacial landforms, some as old as 2.6 million years, have been pushed sideways by about 1,000 meters along the Tintina Fault, as per the report. While other formations, about 132,000 years old, were displaced by 75 meters, as reported by Scitechdaily. These shifts are signs that the fault has moved multiple times over the past few million years, each time likely slipping several meters during powerful earthquakes, according to the Scitechdaily the landforms, which are about 12,000 years old, are not offset by the fault, which shows that no large ruptures have occurred since that time, as per the report. The fault continues to accumulate strain at an average rate of 0.2 to 0.8 millimetres per year, which means that it poses a future earthquake threat, as reported by highlighted that, 'We determined that future earthquakes on the Tintina fault could exceed magnitude 7.5,' as quoted in the report. The researcher explained that, 'Based on the data, we think that the fault may be at a relatively late stage of a seismic cycle, having accrued a slip deficit, or build-up of strain, of six meters in the last 12,000 years. If this were to be released, it would cause a significant earthquake,' as quoted by the Tintina Fault were to unleash a magnitude 7.5 earthquake or anything stronger, it could shake Dawson City with serious force, with tremors that wouldn't just rattle buildings, they could disrupt major highways and threaten vital mining operations that the region relies on, as per the the Tintina Fault active?Recent research suggests it might still be active, despite being considered dormant for millions of years, as per the Scitechdaily is the Tintina Fault located?It runs about 1,000 km across northwestern Canada, passing near Dawson City in the Yukon Territory, as per the Scitechdaily report.
Ya Libnan
3 days ago
- Science
- Ya Libnan
Scientists Warn: Tintina Fault Could Unleash Major Earthquake
BY UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA New research has uncovered surprising evidence that the Tintina fault in Yukon, once thought dormant for over 40 million years, may in fact still be active and capable of generating powerful earthquakes. Using cutting-edge topographic data, scientists have identified geologic clues pointing to recent seismic activity and a buildup of strain that could lead to a magnitude 7.5 event. A major fault in Canada's Yukon Territory, long thought dormant, has shown signs of recent seismic activity. A new study from the University of Victoria (UVic) has brought attention to a newly identified seismic threat in northwestern Canada's Yukon Territory. Stretching approximately 1,000 kilometers, the Tintina fault cuts northwest across the region and has shifted sideways by a total of 450 kilometers over its geological lifetime. For decades, scientists believed this fault had been dormant for over 40 million years. But with the help of advanced topographic imaging from satellites, aircraft, and drones, researchers have now discovered a 130-kilometer portion of the fault near Dawson City that shows signs of several large earthquakes during the Quaternary Period (spanning the last 2.6 million years to the present). This suggests that the fault may still be active and capable of producing significant future earthquakes. 'Over the past couple of decades, there have been a few small earthquakes of magnitude 3 to 4 detected along the Tintina fault, but nothing to suggest it is capable of large ruptures,' says Theron Finley, recent UVic PhD graduate and lead author of the recent article in Geophysical Research Letters. 'The expanding availability of high-resolution data prompted us to re-examine the fault, looking for evidence of prehistoric earthquakes in the landscape.' Across most of Canada, seismic hazard estimates are informed by historical earthquake records, including Indigenous oral histories, archived documents, and readings from modern seismic networks. However, these sources only go back a few hundred years. In contrast, major faults can lie quiet for thousands of years between large earthquakes, meaning important seismic risks may go undetected without geological investigation. Uncovering the Landscape's Hidden Clues When earthquakes are large and/or shallow, they often rupture the Earth's surface and produce a linear feature in the landscape known as a fault scarp. These features, which can persist in the landscape for thousands of years, are typically tens to hundreds of kilometers long, but only a few meters wide and tall. They are difficult to detect in heavily forested regions like Canada, and require extremely high-resolution topographic data to identify. The team, consisting of researchers from UVic, the Geological Survey of Canada, and University of Alberta, used high-resolution topographic data from the ArcticDEM dataset from satellite images, as well as from light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys conducted with airplanes and drones. They identified a series of fault scarps passing within 20 km of Dawson City. Crucially, they observed that glacial landforms 2.6 million years in age are laterally offset across the fault scarp by 1000 m. Others, 132,000 years old, are laterally offset by 75 m. These findings confirm that the fault has slipped in multiple earthquakes throughout the Quaternary period, likely slipping several meters in each event. What's more, landforms known to be 12,000 years old are not offset by the fault, indicating no large ruptures have occurred since that time. The fault continues to accumulate strain at an average rate of 0.2 to 0.8 millimeters per year, and therefore poses a future earthquake threat. A Looming Earthquake Threat 'We determined that future earthquakes on the Tintina fault could exceed magnitude 7.5,' says Finley. 'Based on the data, we think that the fault may be at a relatively late stage of a seismic cycle, having accrued a slip deficit, or build-up of strain, of six meters in the last 12,000 years. If this were to be released, it would cause a significant earthquake.' An earthquake of magnitude 7.5 or greater would cause severe shaking in Dawson City and could pose a threat to nearby highways and mining infrastructure. Compounding the hazard from seismic shaking, the region is prone to landslides, which could be seismically triggered. The Moosehide landslide immediately north of Dawson City and the newly discovered Sunnydale landslide directly across the Yukon River both show ongoing signs of instability. Canada's National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) includes the potential for large earthquakes in central Yukon Territory, but the Tintina fault is not currently recognized as a discrete seismogenic fault source. The recent findings by this team will ultimately be integrated into the NSHM, which informs seismic building codes and other engineering standards that protect human lives and critical infrastructure. The findings will also be shared with local governments and emergency managers to improve earthquake readiness in their communities. Reference: 'Large Surface-Rupturing Earthquakes and a >12 kyr, Open Interseismic Interval on the Tintina Fault, Yukon' by Theron Finley, Edwin Nissen, John F. Cassidy, Guy Salomon, Lucinda J. Leonard and Duane Froese, 15 July 2025, Geophysical Research Letters. DOI: 10.1029/2025GL116050 S CI TECH Daily
