[h=1]The 'Holy Grail' for earthquake scientists has been accidentally destroyed[/h] By Rong-Gong Lin II
For nearly half a century, thousands trekked to Rose and Prospect streets to behold a slice of sidewalk that, by conventional standards, had no curb appeal.
Pulled apart so that it no longer aligned, the humble curb wasn?t much to look at. But for earthquake scientists, it was a kind of Holy Grail, perfectly illustrating the seismic forces at work underneath this Bay Area neighborhood.
Since at least the 1970s, scientists have painstakingly photographed the curb as the Hayward fault pushed it farther and farther out of alignment. It was a sharp reminder that someday, a magnitude 7 earthquake would strike directly beneath one of the most heavily populated areas in Northern California.
Then, one early June day, a city crew decided to fix the faulty curb ? pun intended. By doing what cities are supposed to do ? fixing streets ? the city?s action stunned scientists, who said a wonderful curbside laboratory for studying earthquakes was destroyed.
?They really took it out. Wow,? David Schwartz, a U.S. Geological Survey geologist, said when he clicked on a photo of the curb?s destruction. ?It really was an iconic location on the Hayward fault.?...
