15 Questions
Which event caused significant shaking and damage from Santa Cruz to San Francisco?
Earthquake
What caused the earthquake?
Transform plate motion
Why are the seafloor spreading centers close to the continent and not in the middle of the ocean?
Tectonic activity
What did the Pacific Ocean look like 80 million years ago?
Completely different
What caused the formation of the Sierra Nevada mountains?
Subduction
What is the Basin and Range?
An area of crustal stretching
What is the cause of the volcanism in the Basin and Range region?
Mantle melting
What is the Long Valley caldera?
A volcanic crater
Which type of fault is perpendicular to spreading centers and accommodates linear spreading across a spherical Earth?
Transform fault
What is the Eltanin Fracture Zone in the South Pacific Ocean an example of?
Transform fault
What causes the offset area known as the Eltanin transform fault along the East Pacific Rise?
Different rates of spreading
What are the characteristics of transform faults and fracture zones?
Transform faults are seismically active, while fracture zones are seismically inactive
How large can fracture zones extend away from the ridges?
Thousands of kilometers
What type of plate boundary does California have in the northern part?
Divergent plate boundary
What is the San Andreas Fault system associated with?
Transform boundary
Study Notes
Fracture Zones and Transform Faults
- Mid-ocean ridges have a zigzag shape due to transform faults that offset spreading zones.
- Transform faults occur perpendicular to spreading centers to accommodate linear spreading across a spherical Earth.
- The Eltanin Fracture Zone in the South Pacific Ocean is an example of a transform fault that is also a fracture zone.
- The East Pacific Rise is a divergent plate boundary where the Pacific plate and the Antarctic plate are moving apart.
- Different parts of the East Pacific Rise are spreading at different rates, causing an offset area known as the Eltanin transform fault.
- The Eltanin transform fault has grown over time, creating a fracture zone that extends away from the offset segments of the mid-ocean ridge.
- Transform faults are seismically active plate boundaries with earthquakes, while fracture zones are seismically inactive remnants of past transform activity.
- Fracture zones can be very large, extending thousands of kilometers away from the ridges.
- Plate tectonics affect life in California and other areas with plate boundaries.
- California has a divergent plate boundary in the northern part, resulting in seafloor spreading and collisions with the continental crust.
- The collision of plates in northern California leads to subduction, trench formation, earthquakes, and a chain of active volcanoes known as the Cascade Mountains.
- The San Andreas Fault system is a long transform boundary that connects the sections of the ocean ridge and is associated with earthquake hazards.
Test your knowledge on fracture zones and transform faults with this quiz! Learn about the characteristics and significance of these plate boundaries, including their role in shaping the Earth's surface and their impact on seismic activity. Explore examples such as the Eltanin Fracture Zone and the San Andreas Fault system. Challenge yourself and deepen your understanding of plate tectonics and its effects on areas like California.
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