✅CASE STUDY - San Andreas Fault Flashcards

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1
Q

Where is the San Andreas fault?

A

California, USA

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2
Q

How long is the fault line?

A

1200km

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3
Q

What type of fault is it?

A

Transform fault

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4
Q

What type of late boundary is it on?

A

Conservative

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5
Q

Which plates meet at the boundary?

A

North American and Pacific

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6
Q

Which cities does the fault run through?

A

San Francisco, LA, San Jose, Long Beach

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7
Q

What is the estimated cost of damage of the next big earthquake by the US Geological Survey?

A

$33 billion

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8
Q

How much infrastructure runs though the fault line?

A

966 roads, 90 fibre optic cables, 39 gas pipes, 141 power lines

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9
Q

What secondary damage would occur due to an earthquake?

A

Fire, gas leaks, water leaks, cut off transport

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10
Q

What is the estimated death toll if an earthquake occurs?

A

1800

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11
Q

What tectonic impact would the earthquake have?

A

It will destabilise the tectonics of the region to such an extent that powerful aftershock occur

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12
Q

When did the US Geological Survey begin drilling into the lithosphere?`

A

2004

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13
Q

Why did they drill into the lithosphere around the fault?

A

To insert instruments directly into the fault line to directly reveal the physical and chemical processes controlling earthquake generation

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14
Q

At what depths do the measuring instruments lie?

A

2-3km

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15
Q

What information do the measuring instruments provide?

A

Seismological observations of small earthquakes, measurements of rock deformation

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16
Q

How accurately can earthquakes be predicted?

A

Not very accurately, still unpredictable

17
Q

Why are conservative plate boundaries often considered the deadliest?

A

Because of the severity of the earthquakes that occur there

18
Q

Why are the earthquakes so powerful?

A

Because so much pressure builds up as the friction between the plates increases

19
Q

Why will the affected area be increased?

A

An earthquake anywhere along the fault will send violent shockwaves rippling down the fault