(Express) – California will eventually be struck by a huge earthquake that could have catastrophic effects. But when will the Big One hit? California was struck by a total of seven earthquakes today, ranging from magnitude-2.7 to magnitude-3.3. The USGS described each quake as ‘light’, meaning there was no serious damage to buildings or people. But California could one day be hit by an earthquake between magnitude seven and eight and could cause landslides and chemical spills.
The San Andreas fault line in California is a hot spot for earthquakes, as the Pacific and North American tectonic plates meet. The last time it was struck by the Big One was in San Francisco in 1906. The earthquake killed around 3,000 people after ripping through 296 miles (477 km) of the San Andreas fault line. But John Vidale, director of the Southern California Earthquake Centre, warned there is no way of predicting when the Big One will hit. READ MORE
