California is a hotbed for earthquake activity, and this week was no exception. The state had 6 earthquakes within a 24-hour-period at the beginning of this week.
While no one really thinks that the state is going to be removed via earthquake ‘Escape from LA’-style, it’s unnerving to have six earthquakes so close together – especially when you consider all of them were 3.5 magnitudes or higher.
If you add in the 7.1 earthquake that hit on July 6th, along with a smaller one that same day, you have a whole state on edge waiting for the next big one. And many residents (And even some experts!) are expecting a major quake soon.
Is it coming?
On Tuesday, California experienced six earthquakes that were at least a 3.5. Earthquake intensity ranks form a 1, which is barely noticeable unless you’re directly on top of it, to a ten, which is the most intense.
A 3 is considered ‘weak’. It’s noticeable when you’re feeling it, but you often don’t realize it’s a quake. Your car might shake, or it may feel like how your house ‘shakes’ when a huge thunderclap happens just over your home or a semi passes close by. A 3 isn’t a major deal, but it’s still an earthquake.
A 4.3 hit the San Francisco area on Tuesday afternoon, the epicenter (Or where the earthquake originated from) was just nine miles away from Livermore. A 4 on the scale is considered light – dishes might rock, and loose windows may rattle, but no major damage is done.
One woman was on the top floor of a building and say she felt a sway, but it wasn’t too disturbing. Another in San Francisco said she felt movement, but thought it was just from the construction going on around her.
Just minutes after, a 3.5 followed at roughly the same place. Residents said it felt like a little jolt, but nothing extreme.
Around this same time, a 4.5 hit Ridgecrest. This is the same area where the most powerful earthquake to hit California in 20 years came from, which was a 7.1.
Several other, smaller tremors echoed through the area following.
Often smaller earthquakes grouped together like this spells a big one coming soon, and residents are worried that a major quake is on its way to them. However, experts from the United States Geological Survey (USGC) say that we are seeing earthquakes exactly where they are expected to show up – nothing new or unusual about it, despite how it may feel.
The good news is that these earthquakes aren’t connected. They’re coming from different fault lines, which means there isn’t increased activity in a single fault line or area.
Despite how residents are insisting they are seeing an ‘uptick’ in earthquakes the USGC is reassuring everyone that there are no signs to a major quake on the way, though obviously it cannot be ruled out entirely.
California is overdue for a major earthquake. Working with historical data, the USGC says that a major quake happens along a big fault in California once every 150 years or so. The last major shakeup that happened on this fault line was in 1857.
That means California is essentially living on borrowed time, and a big quake could realistically happen anytime. There is only about a 2% chance this happens each year, though. Being prepared is important, but no signs are pointing to imminent danger at this moment!
Aftershocks could continue to be felt throughout the area in the coming days.
