FREMONT, Calif.-
A section of the dangerous Hayward fault line is now accessible to the curious through a 15-foot pit at a public park.
Scientists say "The Hayward Fault Exposed" is the Bay Area's first public exhibit of an active fault. Visitors descend a staircase to view the fault, which runs under nine cities for about 75 miles.
"We tell the public about the fault all the time, but it's not real (to them)," said Heidi Stenner, a U.S. Geological Survey paleoseismologist and the project leader. "We really want the public to see face-to-face what the fault looks like."
The exhibit site, in Fremont's Central Park, was first studied by geologists in 1987. Scientists expect the region's next major quake will occur on the fault.
The fault's last large earthquake occurred 138 years ago, in 1868. The 7.0 magnitude quake caused five deaths and $300,000 in damages.
"We're due for another one, no question," said David Schwartz, chief of the San Francisco Bay Area Earthquake Hazards Project at USGS. "It's a matter of when."
Walls near the excavation will display information about past earthquakes and the history of the Hayward and San Andreas faults.
The excavation and exhibit are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends and by appointment. It runs through June 30.
