Mr. Sanchez ELA Period 2 Selected grade level January 30, 2018 How do earthquakes occur? Elements of an earthquake? Earthquakes occur when two pieces of Earth suddenly slide past each other. Surfaces that slide past each other are called a fault line or fault plane. An earthquake begins in the hypocenter, located beneath the Earth's surface. Just above the Earth's surface is the epicenter. Sometimes big earthquakes have a shock. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Pre-earthquakes are earthquakes that are smaller than the mainshock that occurs after a larger earthquake in the same location. The largest earthquakes are called main shocks. Aftershocks always occur after a mainshock. Pre-jerks and aftershocks are the same thing. The aftershock can last weeks, months, or even years, depending on the main shock. The Fault Line-One is the San Andreas Fault Line. The San Andreas Fault is a sliding boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The fault line cuts California in two, from Cape Mendocino to the Mexican border. San Diego, Los Angeles and Big Sur are on the Pacific Plate. San Francisco, Sacramento, and the Sierra Nevada are all on the North American plate. Aside from the legendary San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the San Andreas Fault Line does not pass through the city. Desert Hot Springs, San Bernardino, Wrightwood, Palmdale, Gorman, Frazier Park, Daly City, Point Reyes Station, and Bodega Bay are all on the fault line. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper from our expert now. writers.Get Custom Essay The San Andreas Fault is a transformation fault. A transform fault is a strike-slip fault which constitutes a boundary between two plates of the Earth's crust. Causes of an Earthquake Earthquakes are caused by faulting, which is a sudden movement of rock that occurs along a rupture or fracture surface..