Thursday, March 13, 2008

Living On The San Andreas Fault

There are many societies currently located on active plate boundaries. But perhaps a well know fault is the San Andreas Fault, on which multiple cities are located. One of the many is a small town called Parkfield, located in central California, along the western coast.To live on an active plate boundary, you need to be well educated, and also well prepared for anything that may happen with no warning whatsoever.
The San Andreas Fault is a popular travel location, and stretches well over 800 miles throughout California. It includeds many lakes, bays, and valleys. The fault is a right lateral (strike-slip) fault, which lead to form teh transform boundary. Over thousands of years the vegetation relevant to the fault has been changed dramatically. In fact, most of the rock east of the fault, came from the Southern Sierra Nevada's, over several hundred miles away!
There is also a lot to know about the location of the fault. A few of teh cities that it runs through are: Parkfield, San Francisco, Simmler, San Bernardino, Palmdale, and Point Delgada. The fault itself is split into three different segments- Northern, Central, and Southern. The northern stretches from Shelter Cove to southern San Francisco Bay Area. The central segment starts at Bakersfield, and ends at the edge of the Mojave desert, while the southern starts at Cajon Pass and ends at the shores of Salton Sea.
As you can tell, there are many societies that are located on the San Andreas Fault. Parkfield is a great example. It is a small town located in the heart of the fault. In a recent interview, many Parkfield citizens say they do not panic, but stay calm for the duration of the earthquake. As a matter of fact, they feel that panicking is the worst thing to do , and you should just fall into your regular earthquake plan of action. Not to say they aren't serious about earthquakes, because they are very well prepared. Schools frequently include earthquake drills, presentations, have stockpile food and battery supplies, and also plenty of flashlights. Also, since Parkfield is a small town, it is a safe place to be during an earthquake. It's no big deal if you are in town during an earthquake, because thier highest buliding is only two stories high.
In conclusion, there are many aspects of living on an active fault that could rupture anytime without warning. It is important to have and know an action plan for when an earthquake does take place.
Al1

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I liked your title if was the only one with that title it was unique. kg2

Anonymous said...

Wow u rly did o'lot o work finding facts bout the SAF. PROPS

Anonymous said...

good info for people who live near plate boundrys. (ml3)

Anonymous said...

LOVED THE TITLE GO INFORMATION:)

MS4