These photos start at the southern end of the San Andreas fault, near the shore of the Salton Sea. To the south is a small segment of crustal spreading—a genuine divergent plate margin just like those in the deep sea, but here it is deeply covered with sediment brought in by the Colorado River. Thermal activity here takes the form of small volcanoes, seep fields and geothermal power plants. At the other end of the spreading segment, the Imperial fault begins (just off the map) and crosses into Mexico. Explore these faults on the U.S. Geological Survey's index map.
In many places the fault can be traced using the satellite view of Google Maps or the interactive map from Thule Scientific, publisher of the excellent Field Guide to the San Andreas Fault.
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