What exactly is the really Big One that Schulz describes?
Throughout the article, Schulz refers to a specific earthquake along the San Andreas fault line as “the big one.” Since the path of tectonic plates is highly predictable, geologists believe that an earthquake of 8.0 magnitude or greater will strike California within the next decade.
Is the Big One really coming?
According to USGS there is a 70% chance that one or more quakes of a magnitude 6.7 or larger will occur before the year 2030. Two earthquakes have previously been data-classified as big ones; The San Francisco quake in 1906 with a magnitude of 7.8 and the Fort Tejon quake in 1857 that hit 7.9.
What would happen if the Big One hit?

Narrator: The quake could kill about 1,800 people and leave 50,000 or more with injuries. While people could die from falling debris and collapsed structures, the highest death toll would be from fires.
What is the the Big One?
The “Big One” is a worst-case scenario of an earthquake from the West Valley Fault, a 100-kilometer fault that runs through six cities in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. A tsunami is also foreseen in the scenario set by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Is the Cascadia earthquake coming?
Cascadia has now been building up strain for over 300 years, so the next great earthquake could happen at any time. Reduced to simple odds, the chances that an earthquake as large as magnitude 9.0 will occur along the zone within the next 50 years are about one in ten.

What would a 10.0 earthquake look like?
Originally Answered: What would a Richter scale 10 earthquake look like? It would be disastrous. No other things, there be total destruction, the tectonic plates would start breaking, New plates would be formed. There would be total destruction around the area.
How long would a 9.0 earthquake last?
A magnitude 9.0 earthquake can last for five minutes or longer, and the amount of energy released is about 1,000 times greater than that of a 7.0. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the most powerful quakes could leave few if any masonry buildings standing, destroy bridges and toss objects into the air.
How many Magnitude is the big one?
The “Big One” is a worst-case scenario of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake from the West Valley Fault, a 100-kilometer fault that runs through six cities in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.