He began by surveying and mapping offsets (such as fences or roads that had been sliced in half) along surface ruptures. In the wake of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Lawson was tasked with deciphering the origin of the earthquake. The fault was first identified in 1895 by Professor Andrew Lawson of UC Berkeley. Sediment deposited by the Colorado River is preventing the trough from being filled in with sea water from the gulf. In this region (known as the Salton Trough), the plate boundary has been rifting and pulling apart, creating a new mid-ocean ridge that is an extension of the Gulf of California. Here, the plate motion is being reorganized from right-lateral to divergent. In the south, the fault terminates near Bombay Beach, California in the Salton Sea. It has been hypothesized that a major earthquake along the subduction zone could rupture the San Andreas Fault and vice versa. In the north, the fault terminates offshore near Eureka, California at the Mendocino Triple Junction, where three tectonic plates meet. The average slip rate along the entire fault ranges from 20 to 35 mm (0.79 to 1.38 in) per year. Traditionally, for scientific purposes, the fault has been classified into three main segments (northern, central, and southern), each with different characteristics and a different degree of earthquake risk. It forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The San Andreas Fault is a continental right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly 1,200 kilometers (750 mi) through the Californias. Plaque showing location of San Andreas Fault in San Mateo County San Francisco, San Bernardino, San Juan BautistaĬalaveras, Hayward, Elsinore, Imperial, Laguna Salada, San Jacintoġ857, 1906 ( M w ≈7.8), 1957 ( M w 5.7), 1989 ( M w ≈6.9), 2004 U.S.Arrows show relative motion of the North American Plate (southeastward) and the Pacific Plate (northwestward)ģ5☀7′N 119☃9′W / 35.117°N 119.650°W / 35.117 -119.650 Marine Biodiversity in Dangerous Decline, Finds New Report How well do they work?Ī Path to Creating the First Generation of High Seas Protected Areas Industrial fishing in marine protected areas poses significant threats to endangered sharks and other species Research Article Mangroves in the Gulf of California increase fishery yields UNESCO - Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of CaliforniaĬabo Pulmo – Giving Optimism to Coral Reefs You will also be introduced to some of the other ecosystem-based management approaches that are being implemented to help revive precious resources within these ecosystems. The next several labs will guide you through an in-depth look at some of the human activities and climatic changes that threaten the health and sustainability of marine ecosystems, including those already under protection. Watch a report on the Gulf of California, which shows several parks at various stages of setting up marine protection.Ģ: Based on what you know, explain what you think made Cabo Pulmo a successful MPA, and explain what improvements could be made for managing it or other MPAs like it. Multiple protected areas have been established in this region to safeguard the inhabitants of the Gulf, the Baja California, and the neighboring mainland.ġ. The richness and productivity of the Gulf of California marine ecosystem make it one of the world's top conservation priorities. There are now 56 Gulf species on the World Conservation Union's endangered and threatened species list. Decreased freshwater flow from the Colorado River, urban waste and agricultural chemical runoff, and destructive and wasteful fishing practices have resulted in the deterioration of the Gulf of California ecosystem. In recent years, the rich biodiversity of this region has been threatened by the growth of economic activities. The Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortés, has been referred to as a microcosm of what is happening to the world's oceans. The Gulf of California is also economically valuable, yielding approximately half of the entire fish catch for all of Mexico. The high biodiversity of this region is due to its wide variety of habitats and complex geological and oceanographic history. Renowned ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau once called the Gulf of California the "aquarium of the world." Nestled between the Baja California peninsula and mainland Mexico, this strip of sea represents just 0.008% of the world's seas but is home to nearly 900 species of fish and 34 species of marine mammals. Map courtesy of the Atlas of Marine Protection. Marine Protected Areas in the Gulf of California.
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