San Andreas Fault

[ sanan-drey-uhs fawlt ]

nounGeology.
  1. an active strike-slip fault in the western United States, extending from San Francisco to southern California and forming the on-land portion of the western margin of the North American Plate.

Origin of San Andreas Fault

1
First recorded in 1900–05; named after San Andreas Lake, located in the rift, in San Mateo County

Words Nearby San Andreas Fault

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How to use San Andreas Fault in a sentence

Cultural definitions for San Andreas Fault (1 of 2)

San Andreas Fault

[ (san an-dray-uhs) ]


A major geologic fault located in California. It runs from San Francisco to near San Diego and has been the source of serious earthquakes. (See also under “Earth Sciences.”)

San Andreas Fault

[ (san an-dray-uhs) ]


A fault in California where the North American and the Pacific tectonic plates meet and slide past each other. (See earthquake and plate tectonics.)

Notes for San Andreas Fault

A major earthquake along this fault has been predicted for many years. Because California is densely populated, such an event might have very serious consequences.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.