SHAKER MAKER
30,000 earthquakes to hit California in next six months with chance of magnitude-7 ‘Big One’ within a week
CALIFORNIA could be hit by 30,000 earthquakes in the next six months and faces the possibility of a magnitude-7 quake within a week.
The west coast state was hit by two of the biggest quakes on record within 34 hours late last week.
6
6
6
Scientists now warn there will be thousands of aftershocks before the end of the year, and that the chance of another high-magnitude quake remains.
A massive quake has long been thought to be due to hit California, owing to the state's position on the Cascadia Fault, which runs down the western coast of the North American continent.
The so-called Big One was first predicted in 2006, and could cause a tsunami that would hit coastal states all along the western United States.
Some estimates say it could have a magnitude as high as nine and kill as many as 11,000 people.
On Thursday, a 6.4-magnitude quake struck, followed by a 7.1-magnitude quake the next day.
Egill Hauksson, a seismologist at the Caltech Institute of Technology, said yesterday that the probability of another magnitude-7 quake in the next week was around three per cent, but that one or two magnitude-6 quakes were expected.
The website of the US Geological Survey mapped around 600 quakes that occurred since last week, most between 2 and 3.5-magnitude but some bigger.
California earthquake causes fire and damage to businesses
On Friday, Survey expert Susan Hough told : "For a 6.5 quake you'd expect a lot of aftershocks.
“You'd expect the biggest to be 5.5 and so far the biggest has been 4.7.
"Some aftershock sequences are more lively than others.
"This part of California tends to produce more aftershocks.
"With any earthquake, there is a five per cent chance something even bigger will happen within the next three days."
The economic damage caused is already estimated to be $100 million.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for San Bernadino County and requested federal aide for the area, which President Trump said would be provided.
Newsom said at a news conference yesterday that more preparation for a future quake was needed.
MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS
"It is a wake-up call for the rest of the state and other parts of the nation, frankly," he said.
He added that governments must strengthen alert systems and building codes, and that residents should make sure they know how to protect themselves during an quake.
6
6
6
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Topics