minor earthquakes occur on the West Coast leading residents to believe the "Big One" is coming.

Through a thorough examination of California's major faults in general, and plate tectonics, fault types,

hazards, preparedness and predictability specifically, one might develop a better understanding of this

A very simple definition of an earthquake is the shaking of the earth caused by a sudden

movement of rock beneath it's surface. More specifically an Earthquake is

"the vibration, sometimes violent, of the Earth's surface that follows a

release of energy in the Earth's crust. This energy can be generated by

a sudden dislocation of segments of the crust, by a volcanic eruption,

or even by manmade explosions." (NEIC: Common Terms in

Other terms associated with an Earthquake are epicenter, which is the point on the Earth's surface

directly above the hypocenter of an earthquake, and the hypocenter which is the calculated location of the

focus of an earthquake. Additional terms used in this discussion are faults, which are weak points in the

Earth's crust and the upper mantle, where

"Earthquake Engineering can be defined as the branch of engineering

planning, designing, constructing, and managing earthquake-resistant

VI. Felt by all. Persons walk unsteadily. Windows dishes and glasses broken. Pictures off walls. Furniture

collection of mathematical formulas: it is not a physical device." (5)

move down relative to the rocks below the fault surface which is the foot wall. Normal faults are the result

Normal faults are Dip-Slip faults on which the rocks above the fault surface, called the hanging wall,

gravity is pulling the older, colder, and thus heavier ocean floor with

"Exactly what drives plate tectonics is not known. One theory is that

is influenced by earthquake magnitude. Intensity is also influenced by distance from the fault, ground

Some common words found in the essay are:
California Hayward, San Andreas, Phillipine Somali, Tectonics Intro, Charles Richter, West Coast, Berkely California, San Francisco, Panic Poor, Earthquake Engineering, fault zone, plate tectonics, ground failure, normal fault, earthquake engineering, ground motion, san andreas, normal faults, strong ground, modified mercalli scale, san gabriel, strong ground motion, san andreas fault, common terms seismology, neic common terms,
Approximate Word count = 2141
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)