Researchers have identified natural barrier zones on an underwater fault that act as brakes to stop earthquakes from growing larger. The findings come from detailed studies of the Gofar transform fault off Ecuador.
The Gofar fault lies roughly 1,000 miles west of Ecuador where the Pacific and Nazca plates slide past each other. It has produced nearly identical magnitude 6 earthquakes every five to six years for at least 30 years. Scientists long puzzled over why the quakes remain so consistent and limited in size.
