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CU Researchers Try To Pinpoint Possible Source Of Colorado Earthquakes

Researchers Win $600,000 Grant From National Science Foundation POSTED: 10:24 am MDT October 10, 2005 UPDATED: 10:27 am MDT October 10, 2005 BOULDER, Colo. -- A team of University of Colorado researchers has won a $600,000 federal grant in a push to try and pinpoint the source of possible earthquakes in Colorado. Physicist Tony Lowry and his team are planning a study to measure ground movements and the earthquake potential of the Rio Grande Rift. That's a fault line that runs north-south through central Colorado. Lowry says little is known about the rift except for its general location. With the grant from the National Science Foundation, the researchers plan to use global positioning system instruments to measure ground movement at 24 sites in Colorado and New Mexico. Lowry said he expects to see movements along the rift ranging from a half-millimeter to two millimeters a year. That's not much in one year, but Lowry says it can make a big difference over many years. He said getting an idea of how fast the ground is moving along a rift can give scientists a sense of how often earthquakes could happen. Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.