Elise Herrera

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Lithosphere Map Set: Earthquakes
Major Earthquakes in Southern California

For us Southern Californians small earthquakes are a walk in the park. However once they reach a certain magnitude they can definitely leave us shaking even after
the ground stops. For example, on January 17, 1994 at approximately 4:30 am, a 6.7
magnitude earthquake hit Northridge. Freeways had collapsed, many apartment buildings suffered frame damage leaving people with out homes. This was the first earthquake I ever experienced, even at about 35 miles away it was still a very strong jolt.
The earthquake happened on a blind thrust fault. A blind thrust fault is a fault the does
not present itself on the top of the ground. It is buried underneath the top layer of rock.

Elise Herrera

Page 2 of 4
Lithosphere Map Set: Earthquakes
Major Earthquakes in California

The majority of earthquakes happen in California as opposed to the rest of

the United States because part of California sits on the Pacific Plate while the other
part is on the North American Plate. The San Andres Fault is where these two plates
meet. An earthquake occurs when two sides of a fault slip against each other. The
friction between the two plates causes stress, and when released waves of energy
travel and cause tremors in the ground, also known as an earthquake.

Elise Herrera

Page 3 of 4

Lithosphere Map Set: Earthquakes

Major Earthquakes in the United States

However, as you can see by the map above earthquakes can still happen anywhere with little to no warning it is very important to be prepared for such a disaster.
Before an earthquake occurs it is important to safety proof your home, making sure
furniture items are secure and wont fall over. Also, storing supplies is key, such as water bottles, canned food, flashlights, along with other necessary survival items. It is
also very important to implement a plan for your household and immediate family in
case of an emergency. To have a designated meeting place incase cell towers are down
and you aren't able to reach your family, as well as having a family member outside of
your state as a point of contact if possible. It is always better to be prepared for the worst case
scenario then to not be prepared at all.

Elise Herrera

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Work Cited

"Significant Earthquakes and Faults." Southern California Earthquake Data Center at Caltech.
California Institute of Technology, 31 Jan. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
Wald, Lisa. "The Science of Earthquakes." The Science of Earthquakes. U.S. Geological Survey,
6 Apr. 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
https://sw1.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?useExisting=1#