Article URL: https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-15973745/california-earthquake-unlocks-san-andreas-garlock.html Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=488997…

A second significant earthquake has struck Southern California in two days, along a dangerous fault line that one expert claims has now been 'unlocked' and could soon unleash 'The Big One.' A magnitude 4.3 quake struck less than 90 miles from Los Angeles at 12.40pm ET (9.40am local) on Monday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). It struck less than 24 hours after a magnitude 4.1 tremor erupted along the same fault line that a California geophysicist says is long overdue for a massive and devastating quake - the Garlock Fault. While both quakes were relatively small and did not lead to any reported injuries, geophysicist Stefan Burns warned that Sunday's seismic event occurred at a rare junction linking the Garlock to the infamous San Andreas Fault. The Garlock is a major east-west fault in Southern California, while the San Andreas is an 800-mile-long fracture running from Southern California north through the Bay Area and into the Pacific Ocean. Burns warned that the earthquake struck exactly where these two faults meet, in an area that has not seen a quake this strong in more than 26 years. According to the scientist, this small event at the junction could be an early sign that underground stress is building and the Garlock may play a role in the next major California earthquake - which many call 'The Big One.' This is the nickname for a future earthquake, likely stronger than magnitude 8, that researchers fear will be so enormous that it would devastate the West Coast as it spreads along the San Andreas.