The average rate of movement along the San Andreas Fault is
between 30mm and 50mm per year
over the last 10 million years. If current rates of movement are maintained Los Angeles will be adjacent to San Francisco in approximately 20 million years.
How many inches does the San Andreas Fault move each year?
The movement of the plates relative to each other has been about 1 cm (0.4 inch) per year over geologic time, though the annual rate of movement has been
4 to 6 cm (1.6 to 2.4 inches) per year
since the early 20th century. Parts of the fault line moved as much as 6.4 metres (21 feet) during the 1906 earthquake.
How many centimeters apart is the San Andreas Fault spreading per year?
As a result, the nearly 5 cm/year of ongoing offset determined to take place across North American and Pacific plate boundary is distributed between all of these faults. Slip rate estimates on the San Francisco peninsula section of the San Andreas Fault are in the range of
1.6 to 1.7 cm per year
(based on fig.
What direction is the San Andreas Fault moving?
The Pacific Plate (on the west) moves
northwestward
relative to the North American Plate (on the east), causing earthquakes along the fault. The San Andreas is the “master” fault of an intricate fault network that cuts through rocks of the California coastal region.
Is the San Andreas Fault still active?
The major danger is from the earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault system. Narrator: On average, the San Andreas Fault ruptures every 150 years.
The southern parts of the fault have remained inactive for over 200 years
.
What will happen if San Andreas fault breaks?
Death and damage
About 1,800 people could die in a hypothetical 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas fault — that’s according to a scenario published by the USGS called the ShakeOut.
More than 900 people could die in fires
, more than 600 in building damage or collapse, and more than 150 in transportation accidents.
Will California fall into the ocean?
No, California is not going to fall into the ocean
. California is firmly planted on the top of the earth’s crust in a location where it spans two tectonic plates. … The Pacific Plate is moving northwest with respect to the North American Plate at approximately 46 millimeters per year (the rate your fingernails grow).
How does the San Andreas Fault affect humans?
Yet in an instant, that crack, the San Andreas fault line, could ruin lives and cripple the national economy. In one scenario produced by the United States Geological Survey, researchers found that a big quake along the
San Andreas could kill 1,800 people
, injure 55,000 and wreak $200 million in damage.
What towns does the San Andreas Fault run through?
The cities of
Desert Hot Springs, San Bernardino, Wrightwood, Palmdale, Gorman, Frazier Park, Daly City, Point Reyes Station and Bodega Bay rest
on the San Andreas fault line. The Southern San Andreas slices through Los Angeles County along the north side of the San Gabriel Mountains.
What happens when two oceanic plates collide?
A
subduction zone
is also generated when two oceanic plates collide — the older plate is forced under the younger one — and it leads to the formation of chains of volcanic islands known as island arcs. … Earthquakes generated in a subduction zone can also give rise to tsunamis.
Can the San Andreas fault cause a 9.0 earthquake?
The San Andreas fault is
not long and deep enough to
have a magnitude 9 or larger earthquake as depicted in the movie. The largest historical earthquake on the northern San Andreas was the 1906 magnitude 7.9 earthquake.
Can San Andreas really happen?
Yes
. In the San Andreas movie, a 9.6 magnitude earthquake hits San Francisco, which was triggered by a 9.1 magnitude quake in Los Angeles, following a 7.1 in Nevada. U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Dr. … In 1992, a 7.3 quake hit Southern California and triggered a 5.7 in Nevada (NPR.org).
When was the last time San Andreas fault moved?
There are only two large known historic earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault in southern CA, the most recent in
1857
, and before that one in 1812. With about 45 years between the historic earthquakes but about 160 years since the last one, it is clear that the fault does not behave like a clock with a regular beat.
What would a 10.0 earthquake do?
A magnitude 10 quake would
likely cause ground motions for up to an hour
, with tsunami hitting while the shaking was still going on, according to the research. Tsunami would continue for several days, causing damage to several Pacific Rim nations.
Is the big one coming in California?
Yes
. When we refer to “The Big One” we mean a 7.8 magnitude (or higher) quake striking along the southern San Andreas fault. The higher magnitude means it will also last longer than Northridge, but where you are is going to play the largest factor in how this quake feels to you.
Can the San Andreas fault cause a tsunami?
Tsunamis can be caused by a variety of events, including landslides, volcanic activity and most commonly, earthquakes. … Quakes along strike-slip faults like the San Andreas, in which two plates slide past one another, weren’t thought to
cause
tsunamis on their own because they cause largely horizontal motion.
