Week 6- California County Geology

The area of California I thought to be the most geologically complicated was the bay area near San Francisco.  Obviously it is in close vicinity to the San Andreas fault, one of the most well known faults in the world and certainly in California.  Also being so near the ocean and the bay in particular must have some geological impact on the area.  Lastly, I know there is a high concentration of earthquakes in the area and I feel as though studying this from a geological perspective would be quite interesting as well.

It is clear to see from this geologic map of the San Francisco Bay region that San Francisco is very close to the San Andreas, Hayward, San Gregorio, and Calaveras Faults.  The first question I have to further my interpretation of the area is how have these faults have influenced the geology of the area throughout history, but also today?  Obviously with the cities of Oakland, San Jose, San Francisco, and so on, this is a densely populated area, so the high concentration of earthquakes that occur around these faults has not pushed people to move elsewhere.  This is important for my interpretation because I would like to know why so many people have continued to populate the area even with the danger that the faults provide.

Next, how has the bay created a geological impact on the region?  Does the sedimentation of the Pacific Ocean in the area affect the daily life of citizens of the region?  This is important to my interpretation because in order to find the best information, it is essential to know how the geology of the area actually affects those who live in the region.

Finally, how does the area both prepare itself for, and recover from earthquakes so efficiently?  Of course we hear of the earthquakes that have affected the area in the past, but to a certain extent, this has diminished since the Loma Prieta earthquakes of the 1989 World Series.  By common knowledge, it would make sense for the number of earthquakes in the area to increase as the population does because of manmade earthquakes, but just going off of what I know, the area has not had more earthquakes with the population ever increasing.  This is important to my interpretation because of the way people in the area are affected by the earthquakes happening around them.

These three questions would be the most beneficial for me to find the best interpretation of the geology of the San Francisco Bay region because I place such a high priority on how the geology of an area actually influences the people who live there.