Thursday, April 19, 2012

Stop 3: San Andreas Fault, California

Hello blog people! I am now back in the Us. I'm here in San Andreas, California. It is good to be back in America, I don't have to worry about trying to understand some language when finding my way and learning!! This is a photo of me driving right by the fault!:
The San Andreas fault is an example of a Transform Boundary. A transform boundary is when two plates slide past each other. In this case the Pacific plate and the North American plate are the two sliding past each other creating the San Andreas Fault. The Pacific plate is moving NW  and the North American plate is moving Southeast.
I heard that sometimes the movement between these two plates can be as high as 5 centimeters per year. I also learned that some years the plates don't end up moving at all. Here is a photo from the San Andreas Fault Visitor & Information Center:
Image of a graph that displays the Transform Boundary.  Please have someone assist you with this.

                                 
As a result of the movement of the plates there are many earthquakes that hit the area. The most famous was in San Francisco in 1906. It destroyed the city and many people died. Earthquakes are continuing to be a regular occurrence in California.
I have a couple days to rest here before I take a looooong flight to the Himalayas, that will be my last stop! I hope you like this blog so far and find it interesting and informative!

Longitude & Latitude: 39° 0N / 123° 41W

1 comment:

  1. Great blog, Chloe! I love the great variety of places you've visited. <3 Randi

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