3. The San Andreas fault line formed about 30 million years ago as the North American plate engulfed nearly all of the Farallon plate. Take a look below for 26 more fun and fascinating facts about San Andreas. In the 1906 earthquake a less than a half-meter wave was generated. The San Andreas fault is a continuous, 800-mile break in the Earth’s crust underneath California. In detail, the fault is a complex zone of crushed and broken rock from a few hundred feet to a mile wide. The massive San Andreas Fault Zone, is the boundary between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates that runs more than 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) from Cape Mendocino, 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of San Francisco, and extends southward to the Salton Sea, a shallow saline lake about 120 miles (193 kilometers) to the east of San Diego. However, creep occurs in spots along the Hayward Fault. The San Andreas Fault is locked in many places; much of its energy is released in the form of earthquakes. The plot centers on an earthquake caused by the San Andreas Fault devastating Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. The movie received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $473 million worldwide. In the 1906 earthquake a less than a half-meter wave was generated. Strike-slip faults tend to occur along the boundaries of plates that are sliding past each other. 2. This means two fault blocks are moving past each other horizontally. Most of the San Andreas Fault is landlocked and when it heads offshore, it occupies shallow waters. The ground consistently moves a few millimeters each year, pulling apart sidewalks, pipelines and other structures that sit astride the fault. Most of the San Andreas Fault is landlocked and when it heads offshore, it occupies shallow waters. Since then, the North American plate has ground against the Pacific plate at a boundary called a strike-slip fault. The San Andreas Fault—made infamous by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—is a strike-slip fault. Check out some interesting facts about the San Andreas Fault: The fault is roughly 28 million years old and in another 28 million years may be in present day Alaska! The entire San Andreas fault system is more than 800 miles long and extends to depths of at least 10 miles within the Earth. The fault is about 700 miles long as the crow flies and about 800 miles long when its curves are measured. Many smaller faults branch from and join the San Andreas fault zone. 1. In the film, opening this Friday, a previously unknown fault near the Hoover Dam in Nevada ruptures and jiggles the San Andreas. For more information, click on the following phrases for a Google search: San Andreas fault map, San Andreas fault line, San Andreas fault pictures, San Andreas fault facts, San Andreas fault earthquake prediction, San Andreas fault zone. Strike-Slip fault year, pulling apart sidewalks, pipelines and other structures sit... 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