Hayward Fault

At this location, Strawberry Creek flows right across the Hayward Fault! Transpression at this fault lifts the land to the east helping to form the Berkeley Hills, and horizontal movement causes the land to the west to move northward at the rate of about 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) per year. A series of beautiful small waterfalls once occurred here where Strawberry Creek cascaded over the fault line. In the late 1800s, the mouth of the canyon was the site of dairy farms that supplied the campus community with milk and eggs. When Memorial Stadium was first constructed (in 1923), the geology of plate tectonics was not understood, and the fact that the shifting ground would inevitably disrupt the culverts of water under the stadium was not recognized. Expensive upgrades to the system have been necessary to keep the sewage from the stadium out of the creek. The last major earthquake on this fault was in 1868 and registered 6.8, and the USGS gives a 33% chance of a temblor of similar magnitude in the next 25 years. From this location at the toe of the canyon, look up toward the ridge, and note that the north side of Centennial Drive was clearcut: all eucalyptus, oak, and bay laurel trees were removed from the vicinity of the road in early 2020. The goal is to maintain a safe artery for cars to flee the hills in the event of a major fire.