Sculpturing the Earth's Surface
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Sculpturing the Earth's Surface
Sculpturing the Earth's Surface
California is a state ripe with natural disasters, from forest fires to earthquakes; the golden state is home to many devastating events. On November 15th, 2011, a highway in San Pedro California, near White Point State Park, collapsed into the Pacific Ocean. According to the Los Angeles Times, this landslide which dropped six hundred feet of the coastal highway was caused by heavy precipitation, irrigation, and erosion (Los Angeles Times, 2012). Many other factors can cause landslides such as water management practices or earthquakes which help to loosen weight baring soil. While the frequent occurrences of landslides in California are much a due to the activities of humans, the geography of the region is also to blame and this state has a long history of these devastating events.
Geological Principals Involved with Landslides
Experience with landslides has led to the discovery of factors that help to develop the conditions necessary for landslides and knowledge of how to prevent future landslides. California is a state that sits right on top of a tectonic plate known as the San Andreas Fault along with numerous other faults. Since California sits right on top of this fault, the fault has created a variety of rugged mountains and steep valleys that create a beautiful array of landscaping. With such beauty that the state possesses it also creates geologic hazards since tectonic forces gradually push the landscape upward, gravity is pushing downward and this in turn creates the landslides.
In California the most landslides that due occur is that of Southern California since this part of the state is more active with tectonics and has a more complex geological makeup “Tectonically”. Due to such complexity of the region this part of California controls when and where the landslides will occur throughout the region of California. There are typically five types of landslides that hit California and...
Sculpturing the Earth's Surface
California is a state ripe with natural disasters, from forest fires to earthquakes; the golden state is home to many devastating events. On November 15th, 2011, a highway in San Pedro California, near White Point State Park, collapsed into the Pacific Ocean. According to the Los Angeles Times, this landslide which dropped six hundred feet of the coastal highway was caused by heavy precipitation, irrigation, and erosion (Los Angeles Times, 2012). Many other factors can cause landslides such as water management practices or earthquakes which help to loosen weight baring soil. While the frequent occurrences of landslides in California are much a due to the activities of humans, the geography of the region is also to blame and this state has a long history of these devastating events.
Geological Principals Involved with Landslides
Experience with landslides has led to the discovery of factors that help to develop the conditions necessary for landslides and knowledge of how to prevent future landslides. California is a state that sits right on top of a tectonic plate known as the San Andreas Fault along with numerous other faults. Since California sits right on top of this fault, the fault has created a variety of rugged mountains and steep valleys that create a beautiful array of landscaping. With such beauty that the state possesses it also creates geologic hazards since tectonic forces gradually push the landscape upward, gravity is pushing downward and this in turn creates the landslides.
In California the most landslides that due occur is that of Southern California since this part of the state is more active with tectonics and has a more complex geological makeup “Tectonically”. Due to such complexity of the region this part of California controls when and where the landslides will occur throughout the region of California. There are typically five types of landslides that hit California and...