California jolted by 3 earthquakes within minutes. Is the 'big one' coming?

California was jolted by three earthquakes on Tuesday morning, leaving residents scared as they continue to fight the devastation of a recent winter storm. While the magnitude of the quakes wasn't big, three temblors within three minutes caused panic among residents. According to the US Geological Survey, the first quake was of magnitude 3.5 and hit at 6:01 am. Then there were two aftershocks, both of magnitude 2.6. The first aftershock happened at 6:03 am, and the second one at 6:04 am.

There were no reports of any damage or injuries. People from Santa Cruz to San Francisco felt the tremors. 

The Bay Area has been struggling to overcome the aftermath of a series of storms that have inundated several areas and forced residents to take shelter in evacuation centres.

The San Andreas Fault 

Even though the magnitude of the quakes wasn't as high, the fact that California sits on a seismic zone that is similar to the one in Turkey and Syria raises concerns. While the quake hit the East Anatolian Fault in Turkey, California sits on the San Andreas. Following the massive quake in Turkey and Syria, people began to wonder if the next "big one" will hit California. The two faults have similar patterns -- with one long, major fault and several smaller, secondary ones.

San Andreas is an 800-mile-long fault covering California from north to south. However, the Turkish fault is only about half as long as San Andreas, and a secondary fault line, but still managed to cause such a huge scale of devastation. This leads experts to worry, what if a similar quake strikes California on a secondary fault line? 

Experts say the southern San Andreas seems to be a danger zone, considering it is one of the places long overdue for an earthquake above 7.5. If that happens, areas like San Bernardino, Palm Springs and Imperial County will be hit with massive destruction. Geological surveys say there is a 30 per cent chance of Los Angeles witnessing a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in the next 30 years. Similarly, for the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a 20 per cent chance of the same happening. 

The southern San Andreas fault hasn't had a big earthquake since around 1690, which makes it even more susceptible to a "big one". In 2008, a study estimated that a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in this region could kill 1,800 people.

California has to date witnessed two "big ones", first in 1857 that struck the central third of the San Andreas, and the second in 1906 in the northern third. The two quakes were under 8.0-magnitude, but still managed to cause widespread loss of life and property.

Experts say that a "big one" doesn't necessarily mean a quake of magnitude right and above. The 1989 San Francisco-area earthquake and the 1994 Northridge earthquakes were both under seven and still caused a lot of damage.