Identify and explain the major characteristics of the san andreas fault.

The San Andreas fault is a fault that lies between the Pacific plate and the North American plate, is approximately 1300 km long and is the cause of some of the greatest earthquakes in history. The Pacific plate slides to the northeast while the North American slides to the southwest, at an average of 13 millimeters a year.

Explanation:

Geologists point out that it originated from the collision of two continental plates, the North American and the Pacific. The first one moves to the northeast, and the other to the southwest. This movement generated a fracture in the earth that was extended until reaching an approximate of 1286 km.

When two tectonic plates collide this can generate faults or fractures of the earth, among the most known and feared, is the fault of San Andres, which has been the cause of some of the largest earthquakes in history such as that of San Francisco in 1906. When these plates make friction between them, their movement is delayed in opposite directions, generating tension that deforms the underground matter and the energy is released violently.

Characteristics of the San Andrés fault:

- It travels the state of California from North to South.

- It is one of the most feared in the world.

- The friction of the shock of both plates generates friction that in turn is released in the form of earthquakes.

- It belongs to the Pacific Ring of Fire, a grouping of locations that draws a horseshoe shape that was created on the part to facilitate the study of geological phenomena.