According to a recent study of seismic activity over the past 400 years, rather than having one major earthquake along a single fault line in the Bay Area of California, a series of several relatively large earthquakes could periodically shake the region along several faults. The results of the study are based on evidence that goes back to around 1600.
According to a recent study of seismic activity over the past 400 years, rather than having one major earthquake along a single fault line in the Bay Area of California, a series of several relatively large earthquakes could periodically shake the region along several faults.
The results of the study are based on evidence that goes back to around 1600.
Historically, the largest earthquake to hit the area happened in 1906, with a magnitude of 7 point 9.
But before records of seismic activity were kept, the new study reveals that there were a series of large earthquakes between 1690 and 1776.
David P. Schwartz, a geologist with the United States Geological Survey, and lead author of the study, is quoted as saying: “So, as the region is recovering from one event, another event happens. In a sense, it's a much more difficult hazard to deal with.”
Experts on seismic activity have been predicting what they call the ‘Big One’ hitting California for a while, and the latest evidence shows that in the next 30 years, there is a 63 percent chance of an earthquake with a magnitude of 6 point 7 or higher hitting the Bay Area.
