Geologists describe the San Andreas fault as right-lateral strike-slip, which means that the Pacific side of the fault is slowly moving horizontally northward, usually by an inch or two per year. At times, however, the fault may suddenly lurch as much as several feet. Such movements deep in the earth produce earthquakes -- and such movements along the San Andreas fault and its branches have produced most of the largest earthquakes in American history." (Cherny, 2007)

It is reported that new buildings with steel frames during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake "held up quite well. Buildings of brick or other masonry construction, without steel or iron reinforcement, were most likely to be damaged. Some lost entire walls. Brick chimneys collapsed all over the city. The fire chief was killed when a chimney fell into his bedroom. The most dangerous parts of the city were areas that had once been lakes,...
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