What caused the earthquake?
The earthquake was caused by the infamous San Andreas faultline. When pressure along a faultline builds up, it gets to a breaking point. That's what happened in 1906. As expert Alan Lester said, "It's very much like taking a stick and pushing it, building and building the deformation in the stick and if that force, if that stress is released, it comes right back. It's elastic, but there's a point if you push a little too hard, it breaks." That's what happened to the San Andreas faultline.
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