Is The Big One going to strike California TOMORROW?

Discussion spikes as scientists detect vertical movement along fault.

With the latest data on the San Andreas fault, it feels certain that California is about to experience The Big One. (Like tomorrow!) But is that what the data really shows?

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - The world's most famous fault is the San Andreas. The long fault runs overland from Mexico to Northern California.

Dozens of cities and millions of people live within the danger zone of this "locked and loaded" fault. The San Andreas can produce what Californian's call "The Big One," an 8.1 quake at any moment. The Big One will, collapse buildings, tear apart infrastructure, and ignite fires. It will cut water, power and sewage for tens of millions of people for several days to weeks.

Quakes are unpredictable, and it is impossible to plan for them, except to be prepared.

This week, scientists released a study which revealed vertical movement along the fault. The movement is greatest in Santa Barbara, San Bernadino, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

The study is surprising because everyone knows the San Andreas fault moves horizontally. The Pacific Plate and the North American Plate grind past each other at the rate of a few inches per year. But fewer people know the ground also moves vertically, up and down, by a few millimeters per year.

But with all the new attention, people could make the mistake that The Big One, is going to happen tomorrow.

The study reveals no such thing, and the likelihood of such a quake happening tomorrow is almost zero. All we can say is it will happen someday, perhaps sooner than later.

Scientists cannot predict when the next quake will occur. They cannot predict how powerful it will be. All we can do is assume it will strike within our lifetime and prepare anyway.

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