The Likely Cause Of Earthquakes In The United States

The theory of plate tectonics was first developed by Alfred Wegener. He concluded that the continents seem to have a similar shape and could potentially fit together. This suggested that they were at one time joined together as part of 2 super continents called Gondwanaland and Laurasia was in the north. This theory was said to be proven by the discovery of fossilised remains of a mesosaurus that were found on the coasts of Brazil and Gabon. Sea floor spreading is another theory that supports the idea of plate tectonics; this theory discovered that rock is being formed under the ocean as a new sea floor. Sea floor spreading was shown in the Atlantic, where it is believed the Eurasian and North American plates are moving apart on a

• This earthquake may not have released all of the strain stored in its rocks next to the fault this reveals a potential earthquake in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the near future. The occurrence of the earthquake showed that the Earth did not exhaust all its strain and hence other earthquakes could be expected. However, the dates could not be predicted. The extent of the damage could have been much more devastating for the region, but with the earthquake occurring near the coast this made half of the felt area westward in the Pacific Ocean. The occurrence of aftershocks ten days later reinforces the unpredictability nature and hence makes Geology to be a study that is always evolving. In conclusion, the Earth and the study of cannot be exhausted as every natural occurrence provides a new puzzle to be solved.

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake tectonic setting was in the outermost shell of earth known as the crust this is composed of rigid plates that have been moving for hundreds of millions of years. Two of these moving plates meet in western California; the boundary between them is a zone of faults, the principal one being the San Andreas fault. The horizontal sliding of the Pacific Plate relative to the North American Plate, causes earthquakes along the San Andreas fault and similar plates near the region. The San Andreas fault is a transform plate boundary, accommodating horizontal relative motions (usgs.gov).

The tectonic setting for the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake was in the outermost shell of earth consisting of rigid plates that have been moving for hundreds of millions of years. Two of these moving plates meet in western California; the boundary between them is a zone of faults, the principal one being the San Andreas fault. The Pacific Plate (on the west) slides horizontally northwestward relative to the North American Plate (on the east), causing earthquakes along the San Andreas and associated faults. The San Andreas fault is a transform plate boundary, accommodating horizontal relative motions (usgs.gov).

Large magnitude earthquakes occur on plate boundaries and can produce hazards such as movement along faults, landslides, and tsunamis. In North America, the western coast is an active margin, meaning that it is home to earthquakes and

There are many dangers to an earthquake. Earthquakes can cause damage to cities and many people end up injured or dead. The shaking of the ground can cause mudslides and landslides.Earthquakes can also cause terrible tsunamis.Earthquakes can occur on convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries. They can also can occur on subduction zones. In this case, the earthquake occurred on a subduction zone. Subduction is the process of which the denser plate sinks under the less dense

The seven major tectonic plates comprise mostly on continental plates and the Pacific plate. The seven major plates from greatest to least are called: the Pacific Plate stretching 103,300,000 km2, North American Plate being 75,900,000 km2, Eurasian Plate being 67,800,000 km2, African Plate stretching 61,300,000 km2, Antarctic Plate being 60,900,000 km2, Australian Plate being 47,000,000 km2, and the South American Plate being 43,600,000 km2. With different tectonic plates, there are different ways they can move: divergent, convergent, and transform. Divergent plate movement is when both plates moving away from each other, creating a canyon that has magma pushing out from the bottom, forming new ground. Convergent is usually an oceanic plate and a continental plate are moving into one another, causing the oceanic plate to subducts into the mantle. This causes move active volcanos and earthquakes. Even though all of the plates are in the lithosphere, it's only the where Earth is flexible enough to move rather than flow. The lithosphere flexes when loads of weight are placed on it or

This can cause minor earthquakes to occur (however not as powerful as earthquakes caused by Subduction).

The geological cause of the earthquake was the collision of two plates which caused a destructive earthquake and a tsunami. The 2011 earthquake struck Japan, along a subduction zone where two of Earth's tectonic plates collide, one plate sliding beneath another into the mantle. Energy is built through the plates sticking together, releasing the earthquakes. East of Japan, the Pacific plate dives beneath the North American plate. (LIVE SCIENCE, 2017) Japan is located in an area which is prone to earthquakes, being a seismically active nation. This is because it is situated on the

While tracking all of Earths major earthquakes and volcanos there became trends that developed. These trends allowed me to actually learn from our own Earth. The most active area of our plate tectonics was subduction zones. This type of plate boundary was the reason for the majority of the earthquakes documented over the semester. Most of these earthquakes were shallow, but at times had very deep focal points. Because of the old, cold plate being sub ducted I saw significantly more deep focus earthquakes in this tectonic setting. Subduction zones were also responsible for the deepest earthquakes that were experienced throughout the semester. While capturing the title of the most active, deepest earthquakes, it also produced the largest earthquakes of the semester. Subduction zones accounted for nearly all of the earthquakes that registered a magnitude above 5.7. Because of these earthquakes being the largest, they also created the most damage. These plates were able to cause the most damage because of how much elastic energy they could store in their old, cold, and brittle plates. There were several earthquakes throughout the semester that took the lives of the people living in the area while causing destruction on their community infrastructure.

This then send out a massive wave of energy through solid rock and water. This then results to the ground and water shaking, as the massive wave of energy passes through. The ring of fire is where 90% of all recorded earthquakes have occurred. Most earthquakes form near the plate boundaries. The most strongest earthquakes have been near converging boundaries. The location of the different earthquakes can help explain and give further information for the theory of plate tectonics and where the boundaries for different plates

At this point, ½ mile of shore face fell off during the 1906 earthquake. The rock types in this area vary by 100 million years and are not similar. Scientists at the time could not explain this, but 40 years later it as explained by theory of plate tectonics. Mapping of the seas floor showed that the topography did not line up. The continent of North American lies slightly above the adjacent crust that holds the Pacific Ocean. It was determined that subduction was the cause. The Pacific Ocean plate collided with North America plate 200 million years earlier and started sinking below it.

     Most of the worst earthquakes are associated with changes in the shape of the Earth's outermost shell, particularly the crust. These so called tectonic earthquakes are generated by the rapid release of strain energy that is stored within the rocks of the crust, which on continents is about 22 miles thick. A small proportion of earthquakes are associated with human activity. Dynamite or atomic explosions, for example, can sometimes cause mild quakes. The injection of liquid wastes deep into the Earth and the pressures

Earthquakes are one of many natural disasters that occurs around the world. This natural disaster causes both destruction of the Earth’s surface and its lithosphere. The cause of these violent natural disasters is when two tectonic plates, slide past each other at a transform plate boundary. Before the plates slide past each other, they get stuck and cannot move. Stress forms and when it becomes too great, a rapid release of energy causes the earthquakes to happen, which produces seismic waves. Seismic waves cause vibrations which can cause faults to form or a crack in the Earth’s lithosphere. Earthquakes have an impact on buildings by the waves causing vibrations that can be so violent, they can crumble a building.

An earthquake is a natural hazard that causes death and destruction. Earthquakes mainly occur on the boundary of two tectonic plates, known as fault lines, as the plates move against each other and get stuck which creates a strain and results in rocks breaking. This releases energy into the lithosphere (crust and upper mantle) causing shaking of the earth’s surface. The energy released is called seismic waves and these are measured on a logarithmic scale called the Richter scale.