"San Andreas fault
Moved its fingers through the ground
Earth divide an' plates collided
Such an awful sound"
I don't know about you but I am intrigued by the Earths fault lines.
So when I discovered that I was going to a place where I could stand on one, I was very excited!
Along the Pacific shoreline just out of San Francisco, there is a place called the Point Reyes National Seashore. This place has a trail called the Earthquake Trail.
The San Andreas Fault Zone is present at Point Reyes National Seashore and separates the Pacific plate from the North American plate. The Pacific plate is estimated to move northwestward about two inches a year. The most dramatic displacement of this fault happened in 1906 when the Point Reyes Peninsula jumped 20 feet northwestward. We saw the evidence of this on the Earthquake Trail. The moving of the fence is noted by blue poles that show where the fence moved.
I must admit walking on the trail made me a little nervous but a lot intrigued. The signage along the way is very informative especially for children. Earthquakes are not something we worry about in Wisconsin so the constant tsunami hazard zone and earthquake-think tsunami signs were a little un-nerving at times.
David did ask me if school kids in California have earthquake and tsunami drills like we have tornado drills.
Check out how many earthquakes California has had by clicking this link:
Here is another interesting article about Wisconsin and earthquakes:
When I teach my second graders about landforms and earth materials this coming school year, I am excited to add earthquakes to the lesson and show them the picture of my feet standing on the San Andreas fault line.
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| Pt. Reyes National SeaShore |
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| creatures you might see on the seashore |
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| A beautiful trail |
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| blue pole shows where the fence jumped |
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| Standing on shaky ground |
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| I thought this was cute.... |
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| In the tide pools |
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| More tide pool creatures |
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| growing right out of the sand |
I've always loved learning about plate tectonic movement and the inside of our earth! It's fascinating and amazing! Your pictures are great, Robin.
ReplyDeleteWhile living in L.A., we experienced several rolling quakes (as opposed to shakers) which preceded a very big one occurring just after I returned to Milwaukee. In rolling quakes, the ground moves like waves on the ocean. They were some of the strangest things I've ever experienced. Nothing was stationary, and my equilibrium got so messed up that I felt "seasick!"
I believe the rolling quakes are centered somewhat further away from the epicenter than the shakers; It makes sense if you think about how the area close to ground zero will move, jolt, jerk, and heave. Then it becomes sort of a "ripple effect" as it fans out with a rolling motion. Size of the quake isn't a factor.
Your kids will love learning about earthquakes next year, as I know you will make it fascinating for them! If you haven't heard much about the Cascadia Subduction Zone, look up the article in New Yorker magazine or read about it on the net when you have time - yikes!!
Enjoy the rest of your wonderful trip!
Jeanne Ann
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