Yukon earthquake uncovers fault line beneath glaciers.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Dec. 6 exposed a fault beneath glaciers in southwest Yukon, and researchers from the Yukon Geological Survey are carrying out aerial reconnaissance to document avalanches, landslides and other impacts.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near the Alaska–Yukon border on Dec. 6 and has revealed a subsurface fault beneath glaciers in southwest Yukon. The event has helped confirm a decades-old hypothesis about a hidden fault in the region. Researchers with the Yukon Geological Survey are conducting helicopter reconnaissance to document avalanches, landslides and other surface evidence. Alaska state seismologist Michael West has noted the area is where two major plate boundary systems intersect at a near right angle. Key points: - The Dec. 6 earthquake measured about magnitude 7.0 and occurred near the Alaska–Yukon border. - The quake exposed a previously hypothesized fault beneath glacial cover in southwest Yukon. - Yukon Geological Survey teams are carrying out aerial field reconnaissance to record avalanches, landslides and surface changes. - The region has been described by researchers as a complex intersection of large plate boundary systems, which has limited prior understanding. Summary: Researchers are documenting the earthquake's surface impacts and mapping the newly revealed fault as part of an aerial field effort. Undetermined at this time.