American geologists are alarmed by the long "silence" of the San Andreas fault and predict a powerful earthquake (with an amplitude of at least 7.8 points) 40 kilometers from Los Angeles.
This topic was discussed at the US National Earthquake Conference, the Daily Express reports. According to experts, the southern section of the San Andreas Fault now poses the greatest threat. He is, as the geologists put it, "loaded and completely ready to go." The implication is that California could be hit by a massive earthquake, causing the death of thousands of people and billions of dollars in damage.
The last major earthquake in the southern section of the fault is dated 1857. Experts call such a long "lull" the main reason for their fears. Geologists urge now to work hard on strengthening buildings and work out a set of measures to preserve the region's infrastructure in the event of an earthquake. The subsurface vibrations are expected to affect Los Angeles, although the city is located forty kilometers from the estimated epicenter of the earthquake.
Back in 2008, the US Geological Survey calculated that an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 (that is, the same as in 1857) would injure fifty thousand people and kill almost two thousand. They estimated the potential damage at $ 200 billion.
By the way, not so long ago (last year) a disaster film with Dwayne Johnson in the title role was released. It is called the "San Andreas Rift", and the plot of the tape is built around the 9.8 magnitude earthquake that destroyed Los Angeles.
Egor Grom