New Zealand Deep-Drilling Project May Help Warn of Future Quakes

A deep-drilling project into one of the world's most dangerous earthquake faults is now underway on New Zealand's South Island. Scientists from around the world have gathered at the drill site near Whataroa, north of Franz Josef glacier, for the rare opportunity to glimpse the inner workings of the Alpine Fault. The island-spanning fault unleashes a great earthquake every two to four centuries, with the average time between temblors about 330 years. The most recent earthquake, in 1717, was an es...