Why is California prone to earthquakes?

Answer 1

California straddles two tectonic plates, the North American plate and the Pacific plate. These two plates are seperated by a transform fault (a very large strike slip fault) known as the San Andreas fault).

The Pacific plate is moving north relative to the North American plate however the fault is not smooth and so can become locked in certain areas. The continued pressure or stress created by the movement of the plates around these locked portions of the fault causes the crust in these zones to deform, building up something called elastic strain or elastic potential energy. This is the energy stored in a deformed object such as a compressed spring or a stretched elastic band.

When the stress becomes to large exceeding the shear strength of the rockmass in the locked fault zone, it ruptures or "breaks" causing a sudden movement and allows the locked portions of the crust to "spring" back into their correct positions. This movement causes the very sudden release of the stored energy as seismic waves (and other forms of energy) which causes earthquakes.

As stated previously, the San Andreas fault zone travels all the way up through California and so California experiences a significant number of earthquakes.

Answer 2

California has a high risk of earthquakes because it straddles two tectonic plates, the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. All the "faults", or "fault lines", you hear mentioned in California lie along the edges of these two plates.

Plates form the lithosphere which floats on the asthenosphere; they are the surface of the earth that we know. They move just like ice flows move on the ocean, they grind by each other (what happens in California), they smash into each other, and they float apart.

Answer 3

California rests on a fault. A fault is where two tectonic plates (huge slabs of stone on top of the mantle) meet. Because the two plates that meet below California move in opposite directions, there is a lot of friction and built-up energy at the fault. When the built-up energy gets large enough, it is released in the form of an earthquake.

Answer 4

California is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the boundary of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, known as the San Andreas Fault. The movement of these plates creates stress that eventually gets released in the form of earthquakes. Additionally, California's diverse geological formations, including faults and fractures, contribute to its seismic activity.

Answer 5

This article explains: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Andreas_Fault

Answer 6

The Pacific Ocean floor is being pushed up against the North American plate. The ocean floor slips under the land plate causing shift in the surface.

Answer 7

California sits atop a major fault line, which is what causes earthquakes. A fault line is the site of plates in the earth's crust that either rub against each other, or move away.

Answer 8

its on a destructive plate margain