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San Andreas Fault Primed For Earthquake
Trending News: The Bay Area Is Preparing For A Major Earthquake
Why Is This Important?Because geophysicists are saying that this earthquake could have a magnitude of 6.8 — the last earthquake of that magnitude killed 63 people and caused $6 billion in damages.
According to scientists, four sections of the Bay Area's San Andreas Fault are primed to rupture into a major earthquake at any moment.
Long Story Short
Bay Area residents are already preparing for what could be "The Big One."
Scientists tracking the movements of four highly strained faults in the San Andreas system say that they are primed to rupture into an earthquake at any moment.
The four faults that are being monitored are Hayward, Rodgers Creek, northern Calaveras and Green Valley, which run along major section of Northern California.
The scientists have been measuring "fault creep," which is the surface movement of the faults visible on the earth's uppermost crust. Tracking these movements tells the scientists what is going on below the earth's surface. The danger with faults is when they don't move and become "locked," causing strain and pressure to build up until it's released in the form of an earthquake.
Scientists are saying the the amount of pressure built up could trigger an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 or more. The last earthquake of this size was Loma Prieta, which occurred 25 years ago and killed 63 people and caused $6 billion in damages.
The last rupture of these faults were in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, respectively, meaning they are long overdue.
Own The ConversationAsk The Big Question: What can Bay Area residents do to prepare for "The Big One"?
Disrupt Your Feed: Bay Area residents should be evacuated before it's too late.
Drop This Fact: The Green Valley fault's last earthquake was roughly four centuries ago in 1609.