Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Land & Wildlife
From snowy peaks to scorching deserts, and golden-sand beaches to misty
redwood forests, California is home to a bewildering variety of ecosystems,
flora and fauna. Its Mediterranean climate, characterized by dry summers and
mild wet winters, is favored by scores of unique plants and animals, giving it
the distinction of being North America's most biodiverse spot. At the same
time, California has the largest human population of any US state, which puts
a tremendous strain on its many precious natural resources.
According to the US Geological Survey, the odds of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake
hitting California in the next 30 years is 99.7%.
Lay of the Land
The third-biggest state after Alaska and Texas, California covers over 155,000 sq miles,
making it larger than 85 of the world's smallest nations. It's bordered to the north by Ore-
gon, to the south by Mexico, to the east by Nevada and Arizona, and by 840 miles of Pacif-
ic shoreline to the west.
Geology & Earthquakes
California is a complex geologic landscape formed from fragments of rock and earth crust
scraped together as the North American continent drifted westward over hundreds of mil-
lions of years. Crumpled coast ranges, the downward-bowing Central Valley and the still-
rising Sierra Nevada all provide evidence of gigantic forces exerted as the continental and
ocean plates crushed together.
Everything changed about 25 million years ago, when the ocean plates stopped colliding
and instead started sliding against each other, creating the massive San Andreas Fault. Be-
cause this contact zone doesn't slide smoothly, but catches and slips irregularly, it rattles
California with an ongoing succession of tremors and earthquakes.
