Earthquake experts cam with another warning, referring to one of the most dangerous and longest faults in California. If this fault cracks, it may cause catastrophe.

The last serious earthquake in the area happened in 1857. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit Monterey County and the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles. The region has been quite since the big earthquake. However, Thomas Jordan, director of the Southern California Earthquake center, warns that it may not take long before another earthquake strikes.

The North American tectonic and the Pacific tectonic plates shift in a Northern direction. The Pacific plate moves a lot faster, and there’s a growing tension between the two plates.

In 1906, a 7.8 magnitude hit the San Francisco Bay area, and it was followed by another earthquake in 1989.

Once the stress releases, we may witness another earthquake. Jordan explains that the springs on the San Andreas system are wound very tight. The southern San Andreas fault looks as if it’s ready to crack any moment.

According to Jordan, California has to prepare for the big earthquake, and residents should expect an 8 magnitude earthquake. In a 2008 U.S. Geological Survey, experts issued a warning according to which any other earthquake on the southern area of the San Andreas fault may result in 1,800 deaths, 50,000 injuries and $200 billion in damage.

The earthquake may be the worst in the Coachella Valley, Inland Empire and Antelope Valley. In the last earthquake in 1857, the soil was liquefied.

In 2010, the Southern California Earthquake Center used the largest supercomputer to depict the damage through a simulation.

Experts explain that the damage would be worst to constructions straddling the fault. Luckily, there are just a few of this kind. The slippage may affect 966 roads, 90 fiber optic cables, 39 gas pipes and 141 power lines that cross the danger zone.

Sources:
www.iflscience.com
awarenessact.com