By Leslie Andrews

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CA- A packed house of residents of Desert Hot Springs and the surrounding area gathered at the Carl May Center on Saturday to listen to a powerful presentation called “Finding The Fault In Desert Hot Springs.”

This free Power Point presentation reveals that the San Andreas Fault runs right through the city of Desert Hot Springs and that residents have known about it long before the city’s incorporation. Patrick Hinrichsen from The Great Outdoors pointed out in many pictures (both past and present) the natural highlights of the Fault. In those pictures, it shows the Thousand Palms Oasis and other stretches of greenery in the desert, which pinpoint the exact spot where the San Andreas Fault lies. Even a hiking trail stretches along a fault line too.

Besides the San Andreas Fault, there are other mini-fault lines, with different names. Also discussed was the fact that centuries ago, there was once a lake in the area called Lake Cahuilla, which has long since evaporated. The three local mountain ranges were also formed as a result of the fault moving.

Hinrichsen also pointed out that the last major earthquake to strike the Coachella Valley was over 300 years ago. He also compared the type of earthquake expected to strike to the recent Haiti quake, which killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Ron Gilbert from Ron’s Log was responsible for some of the photos taken during this presentation.