"Sierra Rises, Quakes Erupt as Central Valley Aquifer Drained"

"The Sierra Nevada is rising. Drought-stricken farmers in the Central Valley are pumping more and more water from the valley's huge aquifer beneath them, and the drainage is triggering unexpected earthquakes along the San Andreas Fault, scientists have discovered.

For the past 150 years, they report, periodic pumping from the aquifer has caused the towering Sierra to rebound upward as much as 150 millimeters, or about 6 inches. At the same time, they note, California's Coast Range, which spans 400 miles from Humboldt to Santa Barbara counties, has grown, although by much less."

David Perlman reports for the San Francisco Chronicle June 5, 2014.