Pulling Water Out of the Ground May Lead to Quakes on the San Andreas Fault

Earthquakes happen every day as the world’s tectonic plates slip, slide, crash and spread. Most are small or happen far away from people. And though scientists have named the faults where most of this action happens, people rarely pay attention unless a major earthquake occurs. One fault, however, is a household name in the United States—the San Andreas fault. It’s the main fault running north-south through western California and was responsible for the great San Francisco quake of 1906, among others.