The San Andreas Fault in California, USA, is a prime example of geological activity on the Earth’s crust from ancient times. It is the largest fault known to humankind, stretching nearly 1,300 km in length.
This is a strike-slip fault, and also serves as a tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.
The fault was first identified in Northern California by geologist Andrew Lawson of the University of California in 1895.
He named the San Andreas Fault after a small lake located in a narrow valley formed by the fault near southern San Francisco, called Laguna de San Andreas.
After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Lawson also discovered that the San Andreas Fault extended all the way to the southern tip of California.
The best way to see the San Andreas Fault is from an airplane. It is also quite clearly visible from satellite images.
This is considered one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world.
Scientists predict that a major earthquake could strike the San Andreas Fault within the next few decades.
