San Andreas Fault
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The San Andreas Fault is a continental right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly 750 mi through the U.S. state of California. It forms part of the tectonic boundary between the Pa
The fault (right) and the Carrizo Plain (left)
Arrows show relative motion of the North American plate (southeastward) and the Pacific plate (northwestward)
Plaque showing location of San Andreas Fault in San Mateo County
Aerial photo of the San Andreas Fault in the Carrizo Plain
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the coast of Northern California at 05:12 am Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. With a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI, it created high-intensity sh
San Andreas Fault
…from being filled in with sea water from the gulf. The fault was first identified in 1895 by Professor Andrew Lawson of UC Berkeley. In the wake of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Lawson was tasked with deciphering the origin of the earthquake. He began by surveying and mapping offsets (such as fences or roads that had been…
Ruins in the vicinity of Post and Grant Avenue
Damaged houses on Howard Street
Seismographs on the U.S. east coast recorded the earthquake some 19 minutes later. Some early death estimates exceeded 500.
Arnold Genthe's photograph, looking toward the fire on Sacramento Street