What do the rock core samples from SAFOD look like?
Scientists are studying the rocks collected in the core samples during the drilling of SAFOD. They are looking at the physical properties of the rocks to learn how earthquakes occur.
Some of the questions they are asking are: How strong are the rocks at the fault? How wide is the area of the fault zone with weak rocks? How churned or ground up are the rocks? How slippery are the rocks (is there water there?) What minerals are in the rocks and how are they oriented?
The photos above are high magnification close ups of some of the core samples.