What will the 7.9 San Andreas earthquake look like?

Question

They say theirs gonna be a big one that will be 7.9 mg in the next 10 years, have they predicted where it will hit the worst? or what it might look like? Stuff like this intrest me so any info would be good! thid is exciting to me not scary :]

Answer 1

I thought it was going to be 9.0. Every point (as in 5.4 or 5.5) is 10 times harder or even 12.

Answer 2

along the fault, and it will be kinda like how new orleans was after katrina hit...

BUT let's hope not, K?

Answer 3

"They" have been saying the next big one is due within 10 years for the past 30.  From the geologic record, yes, various parts of the San Andreas is well within the typical time windows that big ones hit.  Will be for the next 20 or more years.

For visuals, Google the Norhridge Quake and Loma Prieta (1989).  Don't bother with 3rd world quakes.

Predictions: The USGS has been trying to figure out a way to do predictions for decades.  The best they can do is identify areas of the fault that are under greater stress than others.  Nobody can predict when and where yet.

What will the big one look like?  In California you won't see cities leveled like overseas.  We actually have building codes that have been evolving through real world experience since the 1906 San Francisco Quake.  They work.  They will continue to evolve as we gain experience.

Now, from what I experienced in Loma Prieta and some earlier large quakes:

If the San Andreas or Hayward Fault really cut loose in the Bay Area you will see some buildings collapse, especially any that predate the 1960's or were built on unstable soils.  Some overpasses will fail closing freeways.  

All the major bridges would be immediately shut down.  They'd stay shut down until they pass inspection or are repaired.  Traffic and commuting would truely suck for a week or two until everyone adapted.

There should be some pretty big power outages.

Localized fires.  We'd lose a block or two here and there. Your favorite god help us if water service gets cut to the fire mains.

TV and Radio will shut down for a while.  Phone service will be truely messed up for a while in the hardest hit areas.

The media will go positively nuts!