Welcome to CoreFacts, where we're always short on time and
big on science. I'm Steve Sobieszczyk. Oh...I really like today's question.
Will California
eventually fall off into the ocean?
Although it's a familiar plot device of criminal masterminds
to both superheroes and super-agents, the answer is no. The San Andreas Fault
System, for example, which crosses California
from the Salton Sea in the south to Cape Mendocino
in the north, is the boundary between the Pacific Plate and North American
Plate. The Pacific Plate is moving in a northwest direction with respect to the
North American Plate at approximately 46 millimeters per year, about the rate
your fingernails grow. The strike-slip earthquakes on the San
Andreas Fault are a result of this plate motion. The plates are
moving horizontally past one another, so California will not fall into the
ocean but instead L.A. will one day mosey on passed San Francisco one day.
And now you know. Join us every weekday for a new CoreFact.
If you have a question you think we should answer on the air, email it to us at
corefacts@usgs.gov or leave us a
voicemail at 703-648-5600; long distance fees do apply.
The USGS CoreFacts is a product of the U.S. Geological Survey,
Department of the Interior.
A CoreFact is a weekly audio podcast from the USGS that asks and answers a natural science question. When you subscribe to CoreFacts, episodes will be automatically downloaded to your computer as soon as they're available.
Huh? What's a Podcast?
A podcast is an audio (e.g. mp3) or video file (e.g. mpeg) that can be played
on a mobile media player (i.e. Apple iPod)1 or
personal computer.2
So, How Do I Listen/Watch?
You can subscribe to CoreFacts via RSS
feed1 (click for details), or you can listen to individual
CoreFacts by selecting the play button next to the episode you’re interested
in. When you subscribe to CoreFacts, each episode will automatically download
to your computer as soon as they become available. Some specific instructions can be found on our Adding a Podcast page.
1 Make sure you have the right software
to download CoreFacts from a computer to your mobile media player—this software
usually comes with the player. 2 To play CoreFacts on your computer, you will need media
player software such as: iTunes, Windows
Media Player, or Real
Media Player.
Most computers already have media player software installed—check
with your computer administrator to see if you’re already set up for CoreFacts!
508 Compliance
Every episode is transcribed and can be viewed in the Show Details section.
All links to Web sites or data referenced in the show are included.
