Fears that a deadly earthquake may soon hit California have emerged after a swarm of quakes rocked one of Earth’s major geological disaster zones. Sixteen ‘significant’ tremors – those at magnitude 4.5 or above – shook the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ on Monday, following a spate of 53 that hit the region Sunday. The quakes rattled Indonesia, Bolivia, Japan and Fiji, but failed to reach the western coast of the United States, which also falls along the infamous geological ring. The tremors have raised concerns that
California’s ‘Big One’ – a destructive earthquake of magnitude 8 or greater – may be looming. Scientists have previously warned that the state, which straddles the huge San Andreas Fault Line, is long overdue a deadly event of this size. The recent spate of Ring of Fire activity was recorded by experts at the United States Geological Survey, which is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Maps generated by the agency’s vast array of seismometers shows Fiji was the worst hit, with five earthquakes above magnitude 4.5 – classed as ‘significant’ by the USGS – rumbling the country since Monday morning. READ MORE
