Describe the factors that would lead a geologist to conclude that ...

[tiffannnnyyyyyy]

Describe the factors that would lead a geologist to conclude that a major earthquake is likely in a certain part of a fault.
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What major city was affected by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, how strong was it, and how much damage did it do to life and property?
  What will be an ideal response?

[SeanoH09]

Answer to Question 1

ANSWER: A major earthquake is likely if a segment of the fault has stored more energy through slippage than it has released in earthquakes.
A seismic gap, an area of the fault that has not experienced earthquakes in a long time, is one indication that an area is at risk.
If the fault is known to be slipping, the amount of energy stored in the fault can be compared with the number of recent earthquakes. If more energy has been stored than released, the area is at risk of strong earthquakes.

Answer to Question 2

ANSWER: The Loma Prieta earthquake struck San Francisco, California in 1989. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9. It killed 62 people and caused 6 billion dollars in damage.
A successful answer should
- identify San Francisco as the city affected
- give a magnitude close to seven (a number that would round off to 7 is acceptable)
- estimate loss of life as being on the order of magnitude of dozens
- estimate property damage as being on the order of billions of dollars