Natural disasters 2.1 WORLD
Which immense active geological fault, located in California, is famous for being the source of frequent and feared earthquakes, including the famous “Big One”?
100% of players answered correctly.
THE CORRECT ANSWER: The San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault, located in California, is one of the most famous and monitored seismic zones on the planet by geologists. This gigantic system of geological fractures extends approximately one thousand three hundred kilometers in length, marking the active boundary between the Pacific tectonic plate and the North American plate.These two rock blocks slide horizontally against each other at an average speed of a few centimeters per year. However, this movement is not smooth: the rocks regularly remain stuck, accumulating colossal tension over the decades. When friction suddenly breaks, the accumulated energy is released in the form of devastating seismic waves.Scientists particularly fear a future major earthquake of magnitude greater than seven on the Richter scale, commonly called the Big One by local media, which could devastate large Californian metropolises such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.