The experts are concerned that the San Andreas Fault could cause an unprecedented mega-earthquake.

They assure us that in the coming years, we will witness one of the most powerful earthquakes in the history of humanity.

The San Andreas Fault is the boundary between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates. It is a continental transform fault; that is to say, one plate has a lateral displacement concerning the other and generates discontinuities in the terrain. The San Andreas Fault stretches for 1,300 kilometres across California, the United States, Baja, California, and Mexico.

It is famous for the large and devastating earthquakes it causes. In recent years, scientists have been concerned that the fault is “ready” to trigger a historic earthquake.

According to academics from different universities, the San Andreas Fault will be the origin of a great earthquake with a magnitude greater than 9 degrees. This almost imminent earthquake is known as the ” Big One ” and would cause unprecedented devastation.

Jennifer Andrews, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology, United States, assures that in the next 30 years, we could witness such a tremor. Of course, it is impossible to predict the date an earthquake will occur (unless it is September in Mexico), but after several studies in the south of the fault, experts are sure it will happen. Andrews stated in a report that this phenomenon would likely occur over the next three decades.

According to a 2008 report submitted by the United States Geological Survey, There is a high possibility of an earthquake greater than 7.8 degrees. The document mentions that the tremor would originate in the southern region of the San Andreas Fault and could cause thousands of deaths, injuries, and hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.

This fault generates constant telluric movements of considerable magnitude. Around the northern and middle parts are earthquakes greater than 5 degrees on the Richter scale. In 1857, a magnitude eight earthquake occurred in the Midwest, and by 1906, the city of San Francisco experienced a powerful magnitude 7.9 tremor.

But the experts’ concern falls mainly on the southern part of the fault. According to previous records, the southern end has seismic activity approximately every 150 years. However, in the last three centuries, the region has not presented movements, so energy is accumulating that, when released, will be devastating.

That is why experts consider that there is an imminent danger. When the southern San Andreas Fault moves a bit, it will most likely trigger one of the most destructive earthquakes in human history. The “Big One” will be presented within the next 30 years and cities like Los Angeles are already beginning to prepare.