The San Andreas fault has gone ominously silent. Scientists fear when it finally snaps

[Zorro]

It lurks ominously beneath California’s many natural wonders, a reminder that nothing in this landscape is truly permanent.

It’s been described as “the mother of all earthquake faults,” the source of both our geological birth and, perhaps, our ultimate undoing.

But the most unnerving thing about the San Andreas fault these days may be its silence. It’s a mystery scientists are still trying to unlock.

The San Andreas is central to any discussion of California. It’s the massive 800-mile spine of the state, trundling up the Coachella Valley to the San Gabriel Mountains, and pushing along the edge of Silicon Valley to beyond the Golden Gate.

There is no simple answer for why California’s longest fault, responsible for some of America’s most powerful earthquakes, has produced so few in the last century.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-07-17/san-andreas-fault-at-highest-earthquake-strain-in-1-000-years-study-finds

[bbernardini]

1. How long do you suppose the Fhrer would try to hold out on sending aid if something major happens? nt

[pdxflyboy]

2. He would NEVER send aid.

n/t

[doc03]

3. All they have to do is change it to Joe Biden's

fault.

[Auggie]

4. Unless you've lived through a really big one, you don't know how terrifying they truly are

IMO most of us gauge earthquake strength based on those we've lived through.

Biggest one I experienced was Loma Prieta at 6.9 richter in 1989, though the epicenter was miles away from San Francisco. I was in high-rise, and it was scary. When we get the "Big One" it will be exponentially larger than Loma Prieta.