There are more earthquakes along the western coast of the United States than along the eastern coast. Explain.

thank you

Where do earthquakes tend to occur, in terms of the tectonic plates of the earth?

http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/plate-tectonics.html
http://www.msnbc.com/news/wld/graphics/quakes_dw.htm

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.

There are more earthquakes along the western coast of the United States, particularly in California, compared to the eastern coast due to the tectonic plate boundaries in these regions.

To understand this, let's first discuss the concept of tectonic plates. The Earth's lithosphere is divided into several large plates that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath. These tectonic plates continuously move and interact with each other along their boundaries.

The western coast of the United States lies along the boundary between two tectonic plates: the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. This boundary is called the San Andreas Fault, which stretches for approximately 800 miles (1,300 kilometers).

The San Andreas Fault is a transform boundary where the two plates slide horizontally past each other. As they interact, stresses build up due to the friction between the plates. These stresses are eventually released in the form of earthquakes.

On the other hand, the eastern coast of the United States does not lie along any major plate boundary. Instead, it is located in the middle of the North American Plate. While there can still be seismic activity in this area, it is generally less frequent and less intense compared to regions located along plate boundaries.

If you would like to explore this topic further, I would recommend checking out the links I found for you. The first link provides information on plate tectonics, while the second link offers a visual representation of global earthquake activity.

I hope this explanation helps you understand why there are more earthquakes along the western coast of the United States. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!