Earthquake Notice in California: First Could Hit "Tomorrow" – Geologist says | Science | New

California is a hotbed of seismic activity and experts have been warning for some time of a theoretical "Big One". According to the USGS, when the Big One will rise, the Golden State will be devastated, reaching at least 7.8 on the Richter scale. Indeed, California is at the top of the North American tectonic plates and the Pacific and is crossed by the San Andreas fault.

The plates move very slowly, about two millimeters a year, but the tension has been rising for centuries and will one day trigger a major earthquake.

According to a 2008 USGS model, a 7.8 earthquake across California could "cause about 1,800 deaths and $ 213 billion in economic losses."

Now, a geologist warned that there would be no warning about the Big One, and that he could even hit "tomorrow".

Quora, Eric Last, who studied geology at the University of California at Davis, said on Quora's Q & A site: "Somewhere we will have a California earthquake strong enough and close enough to the earthquake. a densely populated area for loss of life.

"Maybe in 100 years. Maybe tomorrow."

The San Andreas fault, in particular, is of great concern to seismologists. Many of them claim that it should have been long overdue.

Dr. Thomas Rockwell, a professor of geology and paleoseismologist at San Diego State State University, told KPBS News, "I'm sure you've heard about the San Andreas Fault that has been waiting since an earthquake. So we know that the average recurrence interval is about 180 years old.

"It's been 380 years since the last major earthquake took place, which led us to think that we may have been waiting since an earthquake.

READ MORE: Earthquake Notice: Thousands of California Students Are "At Risk"

Another reason why California is so prone to earthquakes is that it rests on the dreaded Ring of Fire.

The Ring of Fire is the largest and most active fault line in the world. It extends from New Zealand to the east coast of Asia, via Canada and the United States to the southern tip of South America. 90 percent of the world's earthquakes.

The plates that make up the Ring of Fire are so huge, even the slightest change causes massive earthquakes, volcanic activity and tsunamis.