After the earthquake that occurred yesterday in Mexico, the scientific community has shown great concern about the San Andreas fault.
The presence of this phenomenon attracted the world’s attention on April 18, 1906, when the sudden displacement of the San Andreas fault produced the great San Francisco earthquake and fire. However, this earthquake was one of many that have occurred due to the constant displacement of the fault and throughout its life of approximately 15 to 20 million years.
What is?
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), scientists realized that the Earth’s crust is fractured into a series of “plates” that have moved slowly over the Earth’s surface over millions of years. Two of these moving plates are in western California; the boundary between them is the San Andreas fault. The Pacific Plate (in the west) moves northwest relative to the North American Plate (in the east), triggering earthquakes along the fault.
What is the biggest fault in the world?
The San Andreas is the “master” fault that runs through the rocks of California’s coastal region. The entire San Andreas fault system is over 800 miles long and extends to depths of at least 10 miles into the Earth. In detail, the fault is a complex zone.
Where does the San Andreas fault pass through in Mexico?
This fault runs from north to south through the state of California in the United States and its extension extends to the state of Baja California in Mexico.
