If you live on the West Coast, you’re accustomed to dealing with earthquakes. That being said, things may have gone a bit overboard this Friday.
Believe it or not, the United States Geological Survey has detected three earthquakes in California in just the past 24 hours. The first earthquake was detected on Thursday and had a 2.9 magnitude. It was located on Calaveras Fault. The other two earthquakes rattled California on Friday morning.
This unfortunate sequence has scientists legitimately worried about California being struck by “The Big One,” a sizable earthquake that could legitimately level several cities.
“Since it has been more than 144 years since the last major earthquake, the clock is ticking,” researchers at the University of California, Berkley said. “It is very likely that the Hayward fault will rupture and produce a significant earthquake within the next 30 years.”
A general view shows a cracked road on January 3, 2024, after a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture on New Year’s Day. Japanese rescuers struggled with heavy rain, blocked roads and aftershocks on January 3, following a powerful earthquake that killed at least 73 people and left tens of thousands without power or running water. (Photo by Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP) (Photo by TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
Virginia Tech professor Tina Dura recently said “The Big One” is imminent.
“But geologically speaking, we’re well within the window of possibility. The last event was in 1700, and paleoseismic records show these earthquakes recur roughly every 200 to 800 years,” Dura told Newsweek. “The National Seismic Hazard model shows that there is a 15% chance of a large (over magnitude 8) earthquake happening sometime in the next 50 years.”
Every earthquake that’s detected from this point forward will just raise concerns about “The Big One.”
We’re certainly hoping the United States avoids any major earthquakes for the foreseeable future.
