Causes Of San Francisco Earthquake

Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle, the rocky inner layer above the core. Compared to the mantle, the plates are a hard, tough, and rigid shell. California is made up of different types of plates that are unique in the way that they form and move. (LiveScience)

II: Plate tectonics shows the features and movement of the Earth. The theory of plate tectonics says that the outer shell of the earth is broken down into pieces often called plates (Korenaga). These plates hover over the mantle creating movement (Marshak). With plate tectonics you can determine the earth’s features without actually seeing it.

The San Andreas fault line has caused constant development nightmares for large urban areas such as San Francisco as well as the other cities built on top of it. Fault lines are one of the side effects of the earth’s tectonic plates shifting that can result in devastating earthquakes. Some of the most devastating earthquakes in our modern era have occurred along the San Andreas fault line due to a dense population. The most notable and destructive earthquake on the San Andreas fault line occurred in San Francisco in 1906. The reason this earthquake was so deadly was because of its magnitude and the city’s poor planning. This earthquake was a wakeup call for San Francisco and force the city to revolutionize its knowledge on earthquakes and how to protect their city. Today San Francisco is one of the most well prepared cities for an earthquake and has made great discoveries in earthquake safety measures. The 1906 earthquake in San Francisco has drastically changed how the city has developed its zoning and building code policies, and its earthquake research.

Plate Tectonics is a scientific theory which study how the Earth’s plates are driven and shaped by geological forces to keep them in constant movement. The theory explains the present-day tectonic behavior of the Earth, particularly the global distribution of mountain building, earthquake activity, and volcanism in a series of linear belt. (Pitman, W.C., 2007)

California’s unique geography as a state makes it a very appealing place to call home. From the odd east to west transverse San Gabriel mountain ranges of the Los Angeles Basin, to the bumpy coastal ranges of the Bay Area, any person can find a compatible topographic terrain to their liking. California may seem to be the perfect place to live with its ideal climate and extensive geographic features. However, due to California’s location over the shifting continental plates, coupled with its enormous and also multiple faults, at any time this great state can fall victim to a seismic disaster. After examining evidence from both Rong-Gong Lin’s II Los Angeles Times article of April 18, 2016 and the NOVA videos Killer Quake ( 2006), Earthquake (2007), as well as Geologic Journey II – Episode 3 (The Pacific Rim: Americas) – Part 3 (San Francisco) and The Great San Francisco Earthquake (American Experience ~ 2005), one can take a comparative account of the three major earthquakes of California’s past. Although each earthquake was very devastating on is own; the Great Quake 0f 1906, the Loma Prieta quake of 1989, and the NorthRidge quake of 1994 each amounted to an extensive forfeiture of property and life. Each of these earthquakes created much suffering and loss. It is imperative for each citizen of this great state to understand the damage that a California quake can actually do and be prepared; for the threat of one always looms.

The San Francisco earthquake on April 18, 1906 was one of the most devastating earthquakes felt by a lot of states. At 5:15 am, this earthquake which registered at 8.25 on the Richter Scale shook San Francisco, California. The earthquake lasted less than a minute and it did a lot of destruction in that period of time. The most destructive part during the San Francisco earthquake was the fires which began after, as a result of the earthquake. The fires killed about 3,000 people and left 400,000 homeless (San Francisco Earthquake). The San Francisco earthquake epicenter was located near San Andreas fault and as a result, the damages caused by the earthquake was felt many miles along the San Andreas fault line. The city of San Francisco was known for its culture and economy, and because of the impact of the earthquake and fire, the city was in total disaster. Because of the magnitude of the earthquake and the amount of damage it did to the city of San Francisco, a lot of data and digital images have been collected so that it can be used for references and be displayed at its anniversary.

The San Francisco Earthquake written by Jack London is journal of his events throughout the devastating acts of God that hit San Francisco in 1906. (461-466)

On April 18, 1906, an earthquake occurred in San Francisco with a magnitude of 7.9. The earthquake was caused by the San Andreas Fault since the San Andreas Fault slip over a segment. The earthquake could be felt from Oregon to southern California. Buildings in San Francisco was destroyed by earthquake and fires. Fires started after the earthquake occurred and firefighters were not able to stop the fire because the water mains were broken and because of this, firestorms started to develop around San Francisco. Then, the San Francisco Mayor E.E. Schmitz called the U.S. Army troops to shoot anyone that is found looting. While the army was doing that, firefighters and U.S. troops tried to fight the fire by dynamiting the city to create firewalls.

On April 18, 1906 at 5:12 a.m. an earthquake of an estimated moment magnitude of 7.8 hit

What did the people of San Francisco suffer after the earthquake of 1906? In order to answer this question, we need to know what the San Francisco earthquake was. The San Francisco earthquake happened in 1906 with a magnitude of 7.8 and caused a fire that burned for 7 days. This was the biggest recorded earthquake in San-Francisco. The foreshock started at 5:12am and 25 seconds later the earthquake started that lasted 40 to 60 seconds, with most San-Franciscans asleep in rooms, they became trapped with only their hope to save them. The earthquake and fire of San-Francisco in 1906 will go down as one of the worst earthquakes in the United States’ history. It’s after affects can still be felt in the California area.

I propose that the state of California enforce stricter regulations concerning earthquake safety before, during, and after the quake. Scientists are preparing by studying the earthquake to help predict how much land area that the earthquake will cover and how strong the shaking will be in order to help prepare for The Big One. The government of California, however, has not made many changes to the safety regulations and rules for emergency preparedness to accommodate these findings (California Seismic Safety Commission). If anyone in California wants a chance of surviving the earthquake to come, then some changes need to be made concerning building regulations, emergency routes and safety procedures, and emergency responders’ training in responding

The earthquake had caused the gas lines and water mains to break. Not making the situation any easier, power and communication lines also came down as a result of the shaking. All of the damage and human activity equated to numerous fires that would last for three days. Adding to the cluster of chaos that city officials and emergency services had to endure, was the fact that there was no water to mitigate the fires, since there was no water pressure from the water mains that broke during the quake. The problem that they faced was a possibility they thought could happen. However, they never did anything to avoid the fact that the water mains would fail them in result of an earthquake. A plan had even been made to pump water from the San Francisco bay, however it was never implemented, (Gunn,

There is no shortage of earthquakes in Southern California. On any given day this area sees numerous earthquakes, though most are barely even felt. The concern here is what will happen when another earthquake occurs in a large dense area such as Los Angeles County, California. One question concerns earthquake preparedness of residents in this region. Do residents know what to do in order to prepare for an earthquake? Are residents prepared for a medium to large sized earthquake? Another question is, how prepared are buildings when it comes to the shaking from a medium to large earthquake? Will these buildings protect residents and employees, or do they pose a severe threat when faced with another earthquake?

California is over due for an earthquake which means that the tectonic plates are shifting

The viscosity of this base is a function of the temperature. The study of shifting continental plates is called Plate Tectonics. Plate Tectonics allows scientists to locate regions of geothermal heat emission. Shifting continental plates cause weak spots or gaps between plates where geothermal heat is more likely to seep through the crust. These gaps are called Subduction Zones.