The relative velocity of the Pacific and North American plates in the vicinity of San Francisco and Los Angeles is about 5 cm per year.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The Pacific and North American plates are moving horizontally past each other at an average rate of about 5 cm per year in a motion known as transform faulting. The San Andreas Fault, which runs through San Francisco and Los Angeles, is a major boundary between these two plates.

The Relative Velocity of the Pacific and North American Plates