San Andreas Fault

San Andreas Fault


The San Andreas Fault is a great fracture of the earth's crust in California. It is the principal fault of an intricate network of faults that extends almost 1000 km (600 miles) from northwestern California to the Gulf of California. The San Andreas Fault is a strike-slip fault that extends at least 30 km (20 miles) vertically into the earth.

The San Andreas Fault separates southwestern California from the North American continent and forms the boundary between two sections of the earth's lithosphere, the North American plate and the Pacific plate. The Pacific plate is moving northwest in relation to the North American plate and it is believed that the total displacement along the fault since its formation more than 30 million years ago has been about 560 km (350 miles).

Movement along the fault causes earthquakes, of which several thousand occur annually. Only a few of these earthquakes are of moderate or higher magnitude. The destructive San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was caused by a movement in which land surfaces on either side of the fault were displaced horizontally up to 6.4 m (21 feet).


Pierre et Vacances


Current Weather

Hotels in San Andreas Fault

Travel Guides for San Andreas Fault

Find a flight to San Andreas Fault

Find a Flight

We maintain our database as accurate as possible, but we can not guarantee the exactness of this information. Please notify us if information on this page is outdated, incorrect or if you think something should be amended. Additional images for this destination can be emailed to photo@Gheos.com. We are not responsible for any damage, injury or inconvenience resulting from information published on this site. Before travelling to any destination you should verify critical information such as visa requirements, health and safety with the authoroties. This page was last updated on 3 May 2022


You found a piece of the puzzle

Please click here to complete it
Undercover Tourist