Parkfield, California

Parkfield is a village in Monterey County, California. As of 2007 road signs announce the population as 18 but some sources list the population as 900.

Parkfield is located at 35.45'11.45"N, 120.41'48.08"WGR|1, in the Temblor Range between the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Coast, at an elevation of 1,530 feet above sea level. Mining and Homesteading used to be a prosperous activity in this community, but the mines were exhausted below economic recovery levels and the industry moved elsewhere. Today, it is a small town of about 18 people who are mostly ranchers and farmers. There is a small tourism industry in the town based on the equine related events, hunting and a Bluegrass Music Festival(see the geology section below). The Parkfield motto is, "Be here when it happens, Sleep here when it happens."

The ZIP Code is 93451, and the community is inside area code 805.

Geology

Parkfield lies along the San Andreas Fault, one of the longest and most geologically active faults, which appears in the town as a seasonally dry creek bed. The fault marks the divide between the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate (see Plate Tectonics). There is a bridge across the creek with piers on either side that have shifted more than five feet relative to one another since the bridge was constructed in 1936 [Simon Winchester, "A Crack at the Edge of the World", Harper Collins, 2005; p. 162] .

Parkfield traditionally has an earthquake of 6 or greater magnitude every 22 years. In 1985, the US Geological Survey predicted that there would be a major earthquake in this community in 1993, but no such earthquake came until September 28, 2004 when a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck at 10:15 am Pacific Daylight Time. The additional time did offer the opportunity to add improvements in instrumentation as the technology was further developed.

Parkfield is the most closely observed earthquake zone in the world. Scientists measure the strain in rocks, heat flow, and geomagnetism constantly around Parkfield. The observation of the San Andreas fault in Parkfield will hopefully help scientists understand earthquakes and maybe some day predict major earthquakes along the San Andreas fault and across the world.

Since 1985, the United States Geological Survey has been working on a project known as "The Parkfield Experiment", a long-term research project on the San Andreas fault. "The experiment's purpose is to better understand the physics of earthquakes - what actually happens on the fault and in the surrounding region before, during and after an earthquake."

In 2004, work began just north of Parkfield on the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD). The goal of SAFOD is to drill a hole nearly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) into the Earth's crust and into the San Andreas Fault. An array of sensors will be installed to capture and record earthquakes that happen near this area. This was completed in the midyear of 2005. It will be located at the source of numerous microquakes that have a magnitude of around 1.0.

Mountain Bike Racing

Parkfield is also home to the Parkfield Classic, one of the longest running Mountain Bike Races, the longest running race on the Central Coast, and the largest Collegiate Mountain Bike Race in the country, excepting Nationals.

The race was first held in 1989 by a private party, Jim A. Jim ran the race yearly in the fall until 1999, when the Cal Poly Wheelmen took over hosting the event.

The event is typically the 1st or 3rd weekend in October each fall. The Cross Country course is 9, 16, and 24 miles for different categories. The race also has a single track Dowhnill, a moderate length fully seperate and bermed Dual Slalom, and of course a Short Track race on either a flat parade loop or a technical campground loop.

More info at www.parkfieldclassic.com

ee also

*Parkfield-San Bernardino Earthquake
*Fort Tejon earthquake

Notes

External links

* [http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/research/parkfield/ The Parkfield, California, Earthquake Experiment]
* [http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/FaultMaps/120-36.htm Parkfield area current and recent activity map]