The earthquake was recorded just off the West Coast of the United States, in an update moments ago. The tremor struck 14 km west of Petrolia, California – the site of the first oil drill in California. It caused a powerful surge which registered high on the Richter Scale.
The news follows a March forecast which predicted California could experience a big earthquake within weeks.
A “major seismic hazard” – the Rose Canyon fault – has been recorded beneath California’s San Diego, which was estimated at the time to cause $38 billion of damage.
The Richter scale, used to measure the strength of earthquakes, was developed by US seismologist Charles F. Richter in 1935.
The reading was first recorded by the United States Geological Survey – a scientific agency of the US government.
At the time, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute warned of the fault lines.
They said: “San Diego could suffer major geologic ground failure and ground shaking hazards resulting in severe seismic damage consequences.”
Whilst this particular earthquake only sent shockwaves to mainland America, it could be a sign of developments to come.
This is a breaking story. More to follow…
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