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Questions for Discussion: Earthquakes: Los Angeles
- Describe the plate motion of the Pacific Plate and the North American plate throughout California. Is it a smooth boundary? Explain.
- In how many years do scientists expect Los Angeles to be across from San Francisco?
- How does a thrust fault compare with the San Andreas fault? Discuss the different causes of these two kinds of faults.
- Why are there so many small, fractured thrust faults near Los Angeles? What are the implications for the city?
- Discuss the statement: "We'd look like Kansas if we didn't have our faults and our earthquakes."