Seismicity at Tahoe?

It's not unusual for Lake Tahoe to be in the news. Lots of things happen in the basin, it is a well visited site that can accommodate thousands of residents and visitors at once. Monday's Chronicle ran an article on the Bay Area section about a study that's taking place on our doorstep. Yes, Tahoma's doorstep.

The California Geological Survey's Gordon Seitz and his team completed their first exploratory drilling effort on Thursday. They'll return in a month and do it again. Their goal is to take sample cores from the bottom of McKinney Bay to examine material deposited during the earthslide 50,000 years ago that left a debris plain covering a huge underwater section of the lake extending almost to the Nevada shore. They are using a remotely operated submersible, about the size of a large generator, that can penetrate the bottom to about 16' of depth.
The scientists of the survey hope to gather information about the earthquake faults that extend under the lake. The sub, named SIR for Sub Ice Robot, was made in Alameda by the specialized engineering firm called Doer Marine. It's president,Liz Taylor, suggested its use because Tahoe's water is similar to Antarctic water where the sub is expected to spend most of its time.
Not much is known about the McKinney slide event, but perhaps the scientific effort will shed some new information about this ancient geologic event.
The article was written by David Perlman, the Chron's science writer. It included photos of the lakeside effort, the sub, the sub on the surface of the lake, and a location map of the lake.
Rumor has it, the crew stayed at Tahoma Meadows cabins, and spent some time at the Westside Pizza restaurant enjoying the Tahoma ambiance.
We hope they enjoy their stay in our fair town.