Is the ‘Big One’ about to hit California? Fears rise after earthquake swarm of 10 mini-tremors rocks the San Andreas fault
A string of 10 tremors struck Monterey County, a rural area in California
The largest, a 4.6-magnitude quake, was felt in San Francisco 90 miles away
Swarm dramatically increases the likelihood of a major quake in California
But one expert claims it was part of ‘normal’ seismic activity
By HARRY PETTIT
DAILYMAIL.COM
14 November 2017
Fears of a huge quake have risen in California after a series of 10 ‘mini quakes’ yesterday hit the San Andreas fault.
A string of 10 tremors struck Monterey County, a rural area in California, in what seismologists call a ‘swarm’ of earthquakes.
The largest of this swarm, a 4.6-magnitude quake, was felt in San Francisco more than 90 miles (145 km) away.
The swarm dramatically increases the likelihood of a major quake in California, at least temporarily, experts claim.
The swarm hit California’s Monterey County on Monday at 11:31am ET (4:31pm GMT) about 13 miles (20 km) northeast of Gonzales, near Salinas.
The initial 4.6-magnitude quake was followed by nine smaller aftershocks.
The largest of these measured magnitude 2.8, Annemarie Baltay, a seismologist with the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, told San Francisco news outlet SFGATE.
There were no reports of injuries or damage to buildings.
The quake happened at a depth of around 4 miles (6.5 km) on the infamous San Andreas Fault, close to a region where the Calaveras Fault branches off.
Experts have previously warned that any activity on the fault line is cause for concern.
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