Overview

• Late in July, Canada’s National Seismic Hazard Model was updated to include the Tintina fault as a discrete seismic source based on new research published in Geophysical Research Letters.
• High-resolution satellite, aerial and drone surveys revealed multiple ancient fault scarps within an 81-mile stretch near Dawson City, overturning the assumption of long-term dormancy.
• Geologic analysis shows the fault has been accumulating strain at 0.2–0.8 millimeters per year, resulting in roughly six meters of slip deficit since its last major rupture about 12,000 years ago.
• A full rupture could exceed magnitude 7.5 and endanger communities, highways, mines and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline with severe shaking and landslides.
• Regional authorities are reviewing seismic building codes and emergency response plans as researchers refine slip-rate estimates to guide updated hazard maps.