What do you think accounts for the higher risk of earthquakes in Los Angeles than in Chicago?

Los Angeles, California, rests on a major (and active) fault line known as the San Andreas Fault. It's the line between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, and more seismic activity is measured daily than on the New Madrid Fault, which runs through New Madrid, Missouri, and around the mid-west. Chicago is still at risk, of course, but not nearly as much, given the small activity of the fault line.

a warm, wet climate will produce the highest rate of weathering. the warmer a climate is, the more types of vegetation it will have and the greater the rate of biological weathering (figure below). this happens because plants and bacteria grow and multiply faster in warmer temperatures.