A powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck off Northern California's coast Thursday sent unexpected ripples through Devils Hole in Death Valley National Park, home to one of the world's rarest fish species.
The tremors created waves up to 2 feet high in Devils Hole, a water-filled cave that houses the entire global population of Devils Hole Pupfish - numbering just over 200 individuals. The seismic activity occurred roughly 500 miles from the endangered fish's only natural habitat.
According to the National Park Service (NPS), the earthquake-induced waves, called seiches, swept organic matter from the cave's shallow spawning shelf into its 500-foot-deep cavern. This disruption likely destroyed pupfish eggs and pushed their food source beyond reach.
"In the short term, this is bad for the pupfish," explained NPS biologist Dr. Kevin Wilson. However, he noted that such natural "resets" can benefit the species by removing decaying material that could create low-oxygen zones in their habitat.
The Devils Hole Pupfish have experienced similar seismic disturbances before. Previous earthquakes in Alaska, California, and Mexico actually led to increased spawning activity among the rare fish population.
To help the pupfish cope with this latest disruption, a coalition of wildlife agencies including the NPS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Nevada Department of Wildlife plans to provide additional supplemental food to the endangered population.
The incident highlights the delicate balance required to preserve this unique species, which exists nowhere else on Earth except in this single limestone cave in Death Valley National Park.
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