https://survival.news/2023-04-28-study-hints-major-earthquake-in-california-soon.html
The Big One is coming: New study suggests California could be hit by a major earthquake soon
04/28/2023 / By Kevin Hughes
A new study suggests that Los Angeles (LA) and other parts of California could be hit by a major earthquake soon.
Scientists from the California of Institute of Technology have identified more than 1,200 shallow quakes in the previous eight months. These shallow quakes were identified about one mile below the surface, which can develop and produce passageways for more serious ruptures on the surface.
The team examined Long Beach and Seal Beach, two LA suburbs that are situated along the Newport-Inglewood fault.
Earlier studies have suggested that this fault is capable of up to a 7.4-magnitude earthquake, which has an energy equivalent of around 32 Hiroshima atomic bombs.
According to Susan Hough, a United States Geological Survey (USGS) seismologist, shallow quakes can feel like “a bomb directly under a city.” While the name doesn’t sound alarming, shallow quakes can build up to create more pathways for intense earthquakes to rupture on the surface.
The shallow quakes earlier avoided detection of the regional seismic network due to urban noise from ships, exploration devices and other sonar technologies. By investigating during evening hours when noise levels are low, the team was able to identify 1,262 events.
The team detected the shallow earthquakes using three dense nodal seismic arrays placed temporarily in the Long Beach-Seal Beach area. Shallow earthquakes are triggered by stresses on the fault rising slowly in response to the slow movement of tectonic plates, with sliding starting when these stresses surpass static friction.