Is the ‘Big One’ about to hit California? Fears rise after earthquake swarm of 10 mini-tremors rocks the San Andreas fault

Is the ‘Big One’ about to hit California? Fears rise after earthquake swarm of 10 mini-tremors rocks the San Andreas fault

  • A string of 10 tremors struck Monterey County, a rural area in California 
  • The largest, a 4.6-magnitude quake, was felt in San Francisco 90 miles away
  • Swarm dramatically increases the likelihood of a major quake in California
  • But one expert claims it was part of ‘normal’ seismic activity 

Fears of a huge quake have risen in California after a series of 10 ‘mini quakes’ yesterday hit the San Andreas fault.

A string of 10 tremors struck Monterey County, a rural area in California, in what seismologists call a ‘swarm’ of earthquakes.

The largest of this swarm, a 4.6-magnitude quake, was felt in San Francisco more than 90 miles (145 km) away.

The swarm dramatically increases the likelihood of a major quake in California, at least temporarily, experts claim.

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California is on high alert after a series of 'mini quakes' yesterday raised fears a deadly 'megaquake' on the San Andreas fault could be on its way. The largest of the swarm, a 4.6-magnitude quake, was felt in San Francisco more than 90 miles (145 km) away

California is on high alert after a series of ‘mini quakes’ yesterday raised fears a deadly ‘megaquake’ on the San Andreas fault could be on its way. The largest of the swarm, a 4.6-magnitude quake, was felt in San Francisco more than 90 miles (145 km) away—-

WHAT IS THE BIG ONE?

The ‘Big One’ is a hypothetical earthquake of magnitude 8 or greater that is expected to happen along the San Andreas fault.

Such a quake is expected to produce devastation to human civilisation within about 50-100 miles (80-160km) of the quake zone, especially in urban areas like Palm Springs, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Contingency plans warn upward of 14,000 people could die in worst-case scenarios, with 30,000 injured, thousands left homeless and the region’s economy setback for years, if not decades.

The swarm hit California’s Monterey County on Monday at 11:31am ET (4:31pm GMT) about 13 miles (20 km) northeast of Gonzales, near Salinas.

The initial 4.6-magnitude quake was followed by nine smaller aftershocks.

The largest of these measured magnitude 2.8, Annemarie Baltay, a seismologist with the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, told San Francisco news outlet SFGATE.

There were no reports of injuries or damage to buildings.

The quake happened at a depth of around 4 miles (6.5 km) on the infamous San Andreas Fault, close to a region where the Calaveras Fault branches off.

Experts have previously warned that any activity on the fault line is cause for concern…..more here

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