If you happen to reside in the San Francisco Bay area the threat of an earthquake is something that you learn to live with. The doomsayers prophesying the earthquake that will level America’s western seaboard have been at it for years, public fears aided by movies like San Andreas. I haven’t seen it but reliable sources tell me the scariest thing about that film is Dwayne Johnson’s acting.

This time, however, there may be actual cause for concern. The Hayward fault line, which runs directly under the city, experienced a 4.0 magnitude earthquake this past Tuesday. The epicentre was dangerously close to Oakmont, San Francisco’s neighbours, and the latest activity has left many worried. The Telegraph reports:

“The past five major earthquakes on the fault have been about 140 years apart, and now we’re 147 years from that 1868 earthquake, so we definitely feel like that could happen any time,'” [said Tom Brocher, a scientist].

The Hayward earthquake of 1868 was named the “great San Francisco earthquake” – a title which it held until the 7.9 San Andreas event on April 18, 1906. Hayward measured 7.0 on the Richter scale…

Though it still sits in the shadow of its celebrity neighbour the San Andreas, the Hayward fault line is still considered a “Big One”. Along with San Andreas, Puente Hills and the Cascadia subduction zone are all capable of experiencing a major seismic event…If an event does occur the USGS [United States Geological Survey] estimates that it could cause up to $250 billion in damages and kill between 3,000 to 18,000 people.

That is no small quake we’re talking. Hopefully this latest tremble is not an ominous taste of things to come, we don’t need five more quake movies featuring the likes of Channing Tatum.

[source:telegraph]