News in Brief Earth

South Napa earthquake revived bone-dry streams

Shaking freed groundwater trapped in nearby hills

South Napa earthquake

QUENCHING QUAKE  The South Napa earthquake in August caused groundwater from nearby hills to flow through previously dry streambeds such as Arroyo Seco Creek (shown here before the recent drought), new research suggests.

Anlace/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

By Thomas Sumner

- More than 2 years ago

SAN FRANCISCO — The South Napa earthquake that rattled Northern California in August shook roughly a billion liters of groundwater out of nearby hills, new research suggests.