Week 2: Tectonics

This week 2 we are exploring plate tectonics and how important it is to know the location of the plate boundaries, and how it is closely related to some natural hazards, like volcanoes or earthquakes.

In the US, the NOAA map below shows how the Easter part of the States is a passive margin, and the Western side of the country is a very active one, with the Pacific Plate, Cocos, Juan de Fuca plates connecting to the North American plate. Not a surprise we are on the ‘Ring of Fire’, where a lot of the volcanic and seismic activity happens!

Closer to home, the transform plate boundary called SAF (San Andreas Fault) is responsible for most of the shaking. These plates (North American and Pacific) are slowly moving past one another at a couple of inches a year; about the same rate that your fingernails grow! Our amazing SAF is also a right strike slip fault. 

Of course, there are a few exceptions, like the activity of Hawaii within the Pacific plate (hot spot) or the New Madrid area (ancient rift) within the North American Plate, both not at plate boundaries, but that will be another post another time...

We might not know when events like volcanic eruptions or big earthquakes will happen (a lot of these happen underwater...), but if you know your Tectonics, you definitely know where the (mostly) do!