I lived most of my life in a tectonically active area, near the San Andreas Fault (right), and although I've experienced my share of earthquakes and tremors, the collective number of quakes that I'd physically felt in my lifetime paled in comparison to the amount of quakes I felt during the six months I lived in Japan. Although mild, I could almost use the tremors as an alarm clock with the frequency that they occured. It was an interesting experience after living in a state that everyone believes will someday break off into the ocean.
The San Andreas Fault is a result of a transform fault... where two plates slide horizontally past
each other. To the west side of the fault, the land is moving in a northwesterly direction relative to the land on the east side of the fault. This is in contrast with the tectonics of the Japanese island arc, which is a subduction zone. This occurs where two oceanic plates collide, and the younger, less dense plate overrides the older, more dense plate. As the plate is being subducted, it melts, and this hot, melted material subsequently rises to the surface and forms volcanoes, which creates an island arc. The continuing subduction under the Japanese islands causes the earthquakes.
The San Andreas Fault is a result of a transform fault... where two plates slide horizontally past
each other. To the west side of the fault, the land is moving in a northwesterly direction relative to the land on the east side of the fault. This is in contrast with the tectonics of the Japanese island arc, which is a subduction zone. This occurs where two oceanic plates collide, and the younger, less dense plate overrides the older, more dense plate. As the plate is being subducted, it melts, and this hot, melted material subsequently rises to the surface and forms volcanoes, which creates an island arc. The continuing subduction under the Japanese islands causes the earthquakes.
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