The research into the Tintina fault was conducted by a University of Victoria-led team. Photo Courtesy of UVIC/Facebook.
Whitehorse, YT – New research has revealed a long-dormant fault line near Dawson City could trigger powerful earthquakes.
A new study led by researchers at the University of Victoria has found signs the Tintina fault has ruptured multiple times over the past 2.6 million years, despite previously being considered inactive for more than 40 million years.
Using satellite and lidar data, researchers spotted fault scarps — subtle ridges and ground shifts — along a 130-kilometre stretch about 20 kilometres from Dawson. Scientists found evidence of multiple large ruptures in the past 2.6 million years — the most recent likely occurring more than 12,000 years ago.
Lead author Theron Finley says the fault has since built up strain that could result in a quake exceeding magnitude 7.5. Such an event would cause severe shaking in Dawson City and could disrupt highways, mining operations and landslide-prone slopes in the area.
While the federal seismic hazard model accounts for big quakes in the region, it doesn’t currently list the Tintina fault. Findings are being shared with local governments to support emergency planning.
