Earth

Volcanoes and Earthquakes

Where is the San Andreas Fault?

Perhaps the most famous fault in the world, the San Andreas Fault extends from Mexico north through most of California. The San Andreas Fault is not a single fault, but rather a system of faults. The northern half of the fault, near San Francisco, has reverse faults and is mostly mountainous. The southern half, near Los Angeles, has mostly normal faults. Land development has made it difficult to see the fault except in a few locations, notably near Lake San Andreas south of San Francisco. The fault was named in honor of Andrew Lawson (1861–1952), a geologist who studied the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.



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