Cracked up science: Rock samples recently collected along the San Andreas Fault in California could unlock some of the mysteries on what causes earthquakes. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey)What’s the secret ingredient for earthquakes? Scientists this week think they might have a new clue after getting rock samples from more than two miles deep in the San Andreas Fault.

It’s the first time researchers have been able to get geological samples from so far down in an active earthquake area and should give new insights into how faults and earthquakes actually work.

The big surprise was the significant amounts of the mineral serpentine that were found. It’s a soft mineral the geologists think plays a substantial role in the creation of earthquakes.

Some members of the research team describe the finds as the geologic equal to moon rocks. And they’re a hot property with hundreds of requests now coming in from universities and researchers wanting to get their hands, and eyes, on these specimens.

The collection process has extracted about a ton of rock. The samples are 135-foot-long cylinders that have a four-inch diameter and were bored out near Parkfield, Calif. That’s a region of the San Andreas Fault where earthquakes are common, but not too severe. Along with the serpentine, the samples also include large amounts of shale and sandstone.

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