“Locked, Loaded and Ready to Go”: California Braces for a Major Earthquake

While Thursday’s quake did not result in any significant damage, the extreme pressure could cause additional earthquakes powerful enough to bring massive destruction to major cities of California, including Los Angeles, killing thousands of people.

According to a recent report by data firm Core Logic, an unlikely rupture in both the northern and southern regions of the San Andreas Fault could produce an 8.0 or higher magnitude earthquake capable of damaging some 3.5 million structures. But even if only the southern portion of the fault ruptured, a disaster could cause over $200 billion in damage.