San Francisco earthquake heightens fears over ‘the big one’ that could WIPE OUT California

A ‘SHORT and sharp’ tremor today sparked growing fears over a major earthquake – dubbed ‘the big one’ – that could wipe out southern California.

The magnitude 4.0 quake happened just before 7am Pacific Time (2.49pm BST) in Piedmont, California near the city of San Francisco.

The US Geological Survey said it was at a depth of 3.1 miles and there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

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People across the area reported being woken up by the tremor, with many calling it a standard part of living in San Francisco.

Could LA’s Big One be even bigger than we thought? Now explosive helium is leaking from massive earthquake fault under Los Angeles

• Indicates Newport-Inglewood fault more important than previously thought
• Risk in the next 30 years of ‘big one’ increased from about 4.7% to 7.0%
• However, study says risk of smaller quakes has actually gone down

A huge fault in the Earth’s crust near Los Angeles is leaking helium, researchers have found.

They say the unexpected find sheds new light on the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone in the Los Angeles Basin.

It reveals the fault is far deeper than previously thought, and a quake would be far more devastating.

It follows a report from the U.S. Geological Survey has warned the risk of ‘the big one’ hitting California has increased dramatically.

Mega-Quake Threat Looms For California

Residents of California are understandably shaken over new predictions that a “mega-quake” of magnitude 8.0 or greater will rock the Golden State sometime within the next 30 years. According to the Los Angeles Times, the U.S. Geological Survey has raised California’s risk of such a quake from 4.7 percent to 7 percent.

One reason behind the increased chance for a devastating mega-quake is the conclusion by geologists that earthquake faults are interconnected, allowing quakes that start along one fault line to spread, or “jump,” to others. After looking at the layout of faults throughout California, U.S. Geological Survey scientists are now of the opinion that there is a compounded and relatively imminent risk for a catastrophic event in the region.