A lubricated fault?
Researchers have recently found that certain geologic phenomena may exist that could lead to better predictions of earthquakes on the San Andreas fault, which affects San Francisco. The rubbing slabs that form the fault seem to produce less heat than other faults, suggesting that it is lubricated somehow and is hence unique. At a meeting of the American Geophysical Union, Chris Scholz of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory argued that the prevailing view is wrong: the fault is actually typical. Scholz says an unseen fluid may be removing the missing heat through convection ( Scientific American , Vol 282, No 2).