Why do San Francisco have earthquakes?

Answer 1

It depends what country it is. If the area is near the edge of a tectonic plate then earthquakes are more likely to happen because occasionally the plates crash together, which creates earthquakes! :)

Answer 2

San Francisco is at risk of having earth quakes because it is part of what is called the Pacific Rim of Fire...which includes Oregon, Washington, Canada, Alaska, Japan....etc.

When you ask a question involving the word "more" it is nice if you include what you want to compare it with. Such as "Why is San Francisco more earthquake prone than London?"

Answer 3

San Fransico can expect frequent eartquakes because it sits between the San Andreas fault to the east and the North American-Pacific plate boundary (Part of the infamous "ring of fire") to the west. This makes it a hotspot for earthquakes. For more on why plate boundaries and fault lines cause earthquakes i would advise you to look at the national geographic website the explainations are very good and easy to follow.

Answer 4

Absolutely. San Francisco, California, as well as much of the western coast of the US, is situated right on top of or very near to the San Andreas Fault. This particular fault line is the boundary between two of Earth's large moving "plates". The crust of the Earth is made up of many "plates" that move and rub against each other as the molten core of the planet moves and shifts. When two plates get pushed too hard against each other, they may get stuck and stall in place. But that means that the rest of the Earth is still changing, so pressure builds up over time at the stuck locations.

In both 1906 and 1989, a place where the plates were stuck suddenly broke free and in each of those years, a huge earthquake was created. As the two plates began to suddenly move again, they moved very fast and caused the ground to heave and roll in a very violent way. Shockwaves of energy move through the ground, lifting and shaking it, tearing up highways, toppling bridges, and destroying buildings.

Other places in the world have suffered big quakes also. In the Midwest, there is the New Madrid fault that caused a huge earthquake back in the early 1900's. In that event, the great Mississippi river changed direction and flowed backwards. The ground shook so much, that it was impossible to stand up.

The biggest recent quake occurred off the eastern coast of Japan. It was possibly the largest earthquake ever recorded. Scientists believe that two big plates in the Earth's crust got stuck when one tried to slide up over the edge of the other. When they finally broke free, the "snap" of their movement pushed immense amounts of ocean water toward shore and parts of Japan were raised up and other parts sank as much as ten (or more) feet! As the water hit the shore, it speeds up and becomes a "tsunami", which floods the coastal areas to many miles inland.

Scientists are studying earthquakes hard after what happened in Japan, and as a result, we know a lot more about the Earth and how it can move beneath us.

Answer 5

It's near a fault line caused by colliding tectonic plates.

Answer 6

San Francisco has so many earthquakes because the city sits right on top of the San Andreas fault which is the largest fault in the USA.

Answer 7

San Francisco is near the San Andreas fault for one, similarly, all of California lies along a plate boundary.