quake

The absence of quakes in certain areas suggests that sections of the plate have already detached, and the gap is gradually widening over time.

Now, new research published in the journal Geosphere suggests that this "really big one" might not stop there -- it could also set off a major quake in California.

In California, where the next “Big One” is an always-looming threat, some lessons learned from the 1925 Santa Barbara quake resonate even 100 years later, experts say.

Supershear quakes send intense shaking farther from the epicenter and strike twice, according to Elbanna -- a sharp initial blow from the shock front followed by the trailing waves.

The destruction came less than two weeks after a 6.9-magnitude quake struck the central Philippine island of Cebu, killing 75 people and wrecking about 72,000 houses.