GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -California has more earthquakes that cause damage than any other state. Alaska and California have the most earthquakes (not human-induced).

Detailed explanation-2: -Since the formation of the San Andreas Fault system 25-30 million years ago, the juxtaposition of the Pacific and North American plates has formed many faults in California that accommodate lateral motion between the plates.

Detailed explanation-3: -Southern California Earthquake Hazards Active. Southern California has the highest level of earthquake risk in the United States, with half of the expected financial losses from earthquakes in the Nation expected to occur in southern California.

Detailed explanation-4: -The largest, a 6.0 magnitude, occurred along the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada, a major physiographic boundary along the California-Nevada border. The magnitude 6.0 earthquake was widely felt, with reports as far away as the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento in California, and Carson City in Nevada.

Detailed explanation-5: -Highest earthquake hazards in the USA are found on the west coast, the western mountain range, the midwest south of the Great Lakes, the southern coast of Alaska, and the big island of Hawaii.