BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS: Massive crack opens in earth after Ridgecrest earthquake

Before-and-after aerial photographs are showing how a massive crack opened in the desert floor after the 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake.

RIDGECREST, Calif. -- Before-and-after photos show a massive crack opening up on the desert floor along the fault line following the 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake.

The picture before the quake shows a small fissure in the surface.

After the ground started shaking on July 5, a new picture shows an additional wider crack visible on the surface.

The U.S. Geological Survey has made clear the crack is not a new fault line and the continuing quake activity has nothing to do with the San Andreas Fault.

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