oasis

Southern California: Whose Fault Is It Anyway?

Southern California: Whose Fault Is It Anyway?

We were hiking in an oasis near Palm Springs. Having driven here through endless dry, sandy desert, I marvelled out loud about the presence of water in the desert. “Well,” said the volunteer park ranger, “that’s because of the cracks in the earth here. Water comes up from underground and is collected in the canyons along these cracks. You are standing on top of the San Andreas Fault here.” And she pointed to my feet.