New earthquake swarms in recent days have put some in California around the San Francisco area on edge, alarmed that the “Big One” may be coming. Recent large earthquakes in Japan and Alaska are adding to the fear that a significant earthquake could soon strike California. USGS says the odds of a larger earthquake striking are high, although those odds are over an extended period of time and not necessarily over the short-term next few days or weeks.
The “Big One” in California refers to a major earthquake, likely magnitude 7.8 or higher, expected along the San Andreas Fault, potentially causing widespread destruction, significant loss of life, and massive economic damage to California. Scientists say there is a high probability of such a large earthquake striking the state in the coming years, putting odds at 72% that a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake will strike the broader Bay Area between now and 2043. Unfortunately, scientists with USGS say that with modern technology and earthquake forecasting, they cannot narrow down the window to determine when such a large scale disaster will strike.
But because scientists stress it’s a matter of “when, not if”, ongoing moderate earthquake swarms near the Bay Area along with headline-generating large earthquakes elsewhere in the world have the region on edge…