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What caused the largest earthquake in the world?
A sudden breaking in the rocks along a roughly 560–620-mile (900–1,000-km) stretch of the Nazca Plate caused the earthquake, which has been generally agreed to have had a magnitude of 9.5—the largest earthquake recorded in the 20th century.
Is the San Andreas fault the biggest fault in the world?
The San Andreas fault line formed about 30 million years ago as the North American plate engulfed nearly all of the Farallon plate. This fault is one of the largest faults in the world, running more than 800 miles from the Salton Sea to Cape Mendocino. It carves the state in two.
What is the strongest fault line?
The New Madrid Seismic Zone (/ˈmædrɪd/), sometimes called the New Madrid Fault Line, is a major seismic zone and a prolific source of intraplate earthquakes (earthquakes within a tectonic plate) in the Southern and Midwestern United States, stretching to the southwest from New Madrid, Missouri.
What is the big one earthquake?
When we refer to “The Big One” we mean a 7.8 magnitude (or higher) quake striking along the southern San Andreas fault. The higher magnitude means it will also last longer than Northridge, but where you are is going to play the largest factor in how this quake feels to you.
What is the deepest fault in the world?
For the first time, researchers have confirmed the existence of the largest exposed fault on Earth, and it could explain how a 7.2-km -deep (4.5-mile) abyss formed in the Pacific Ocean. Discovered beneath the Banda Sea in eastern Indonesia, the massive fault plane runs right through the notorious Ring of Fire – an explosive region where roughly 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and 75 percent of all active volcanoes occur.
Where is the biggest fault line in the world?
The biggest fault line of all is measured up to 5,500 km and is found at South East Asia. It is located from Myanmar and runs all around the nearby regions until it reaches Australia. The movement of this fault line resulted in the 2004 India Earthquake that led to a tsunami claiming at least 230,000 lives.
What is the most dangerous fault line in the US?
Considering the human toll in urban areas and the potential for devastation to human life and whole economies, the most dangerous fault in the United States is the Hayward Fault, which runs through the East Bay of the San Francisco, California megolopolis. This fault notoriously runs through the stadium at the University Of California at Berkeley.
What is the biggest fault line in the world?
The world’s biggest fault line is the San Andreas Fault. The fault extends more than 800 miles northwestward from the Gulf of California through the state and into parts of the Pacific Ocean .