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Simplified fault map of southern California The faults of Southern California viewed to the southeast, as modeled by the Southern California Earthquake Center. Highlighted in purple are the San Andreas Fault (left) and Santa Monica Bay complex (right). The foreground is in the Santa Barbara Channel, the east-trending zone marks the Transverse Range
This paradoxically results in divergence which was only incorporated in the theory of plate tectonics in 1970, but still results in net destruction when summed over major plate boundaries. [2] Divergent boundaries are areas where plates move away from each other, forming either mid-ocean ridges or rift valleys. These are also known as ...
The thalweg of a river. In geography, hydrography, and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg (/ ˈ t ɑː l v ɛ ɡ /) is the line or curve of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. [1] Its vertical position in maps is the nadir (greatest depth, sounding) in the stream profile.
The Pacific plate, to the west of the fault, is moving in a northwest direction while the North American plate to the east is moving toward the southwest, but relatively southeast under the influence of plate tectonics. The rate of slippage averages about 33 to 37 millimeters (1.3 to 1.5 in) a year across California. [10]
The accommodation of this plate configuration results in a transform boundary along the Mendocino fracture zone, and a divergent boundary at the Gorda Ridge. [2] [3] This area is tectonically active historically and today. The Cascadia subduction zone is capable of producing megathrust earthquakes on the order of MW 9.0.
Smoke and flames rise as firefighters and aircraft battle the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County on Jan. 22, 2025.
The San Jacinto Fault Zone and the San Andreas Fault (SAF) accommodate up to 80% of the slip rate between the North American and Pacific plates.The extreme southern portion of the SAF has experienced two moderate events in historical times, while the SJFZ is one of California's most active fault zones and has repeatedly produced both moderate and large events.
The Juan de Fuca and Gorda plates are moving east-northeast, subducting under the North American plate at a much slower rate of 2.5 to 3 cm per year. [6] Because the ridge is divided into three distinct parts, each section has its own spreading rate, caused by the slab-pull and ridge-push of the surrounding tectonic plates .