Journey to the centre of a quake.

This article presents information regarding the project, known as the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), is part of the U.S. National Science Foundation's $200 million EarthScope survey of North America. EarthScope researchers will install seismometers, strain meters and GPS positioning devices at hundreds of sites across the continent. But SAFOD will take that research to a whole new level. By drilling directly into the fault, the team will be able to observe the chemistry and physics of what happens before, during and after quakes as never before. SAFOD should reveal what drives the engine of earthquakes, what keeps them going and why they stop. INSET: To the seabed and beyond.