08/20/2025
It goes right through TSR https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1316882223383040&set=a.1049801296757802&type=3&mibextid=wwXIfr
The San Andreas Fault may be ready for an earthquake even bigger than “the Big One.”
A new study of Myanmar’s devastating March earthquake (magnitude 7.7) has shaken what scientists thought they knew about fault lines. Researchers found that Myanmar’s Sagaing Fault – a strike-slip fault similar to California’s San Andreas –ruptured far beyond expectations.
◾ Instead of breaking along the 190 miles (300 km) scientists predicted, the rupture tore across more than 310 miles (500 km) of the fault.
◾ The ground on either side shifted by about 10 feet (3 meters) in opposite directions – in just seconds.
◾ The quake killed over 5,000 people and caused widespread destruction.
Why does this matter for California? The San Andreas Fault – stretching roughly 746 miles (1,200 km) – is the same type of fault system.
Geologists have long warned it’s due for another major quake. The last big one was in 1906, when a magnitude 7.9 rupture devastated San Francisco and killed more than 3,000 people.
But this new research shows that big faults don’t necessarily repeat past behavior. They can rupture in new and larger ways, releasing far more energy than expected.
In other words, the next San Andreas quake could be stronger – and more destructive – than any we’ve ever recorded.
Learn more:
Pester, Patrick. “San Andreas Fault Could Unleash an Earthquake Unlike Any Seen before, Study of Deadly Myanmar Quake Suggests.” Live Science, 15 Aug. 2025
📸Credit: Maps of the World