Is California next? Geophysicist who predicted Colombia earthquake issues dire warning, ‘We are worried’

A geophysicist warns that California is at high risk of a significant earthquake, supported by recent seismic events in Colombia and Venezuela.

A geophysicist who forecasted the Colombia earthquake has cautioned that California is "in the crosshairs" of a significant seismic event.

Seismologist Stefan Burns warns California, particularly Southern California, faces a heightened earthquake risk due to recent seismic activity, including a Colombia earthquake.

Stefan Burns stated that the Golden State may be the next target following a 7.4 magnitude quake that struck El Cairo on Monday, along with two earthquakes that occurred in Venezuela on June 24.

Is earthquake in California super overdue?

He emphasized that the area is "super overdue" for a major quake, noting that Southern California is especially vulnerable due to its location across several fault lines.

The earthquake in Colombia has claimed lives of over 200 people and has left thousands unaccounted for, occurring more than a month after the tremors in Venezuela claimed more than 6,000 lives, as per NY Post.

According to the country's geological service, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) at a depth of 103 km (64 miles) in Chocó province. The tremor was experienced over a vast region, extending for hundreds of miles throughout western Colombia.

A significant number of fatalities have been reported in Cali, which is Colombia's third-largest city in terms of population.

California earthquake prediction: Which areas are at greater risk?

Burns, who had cautioned that the tremors in Venezuela would trigger another significant earthquake, stated during a YouTube livestream: "California is super overdue. What areas in California are now at greater risk?

"In general, just all of California but really more Southern California would be at greater risk because of this."

Burns cautioned that the earthquake in Colombia might impact the West Coast by "loading" geological faults located thousands of miles away.

When could California earthquake take place?

He asserts that California could face risks for as long as a year due to the catastrophic quake in South America.

"It's that six-[month]-to-one-year time frame that we're worried about, and if we get kind of past that then maybe we can start to breathe a bit of a sigh of relief. But because we've been seeing so much activity in Northern California, it's hard to rule out Northern California. So really, all of California is problematic right now."

Concerns over San Andreas fault

Burns' alarming forecast follows closely on the heels of a disturbing new study that has rekindled worries regarding the San Andreas fault, as per The Post.

Caltech seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones, who created a scenario for a magnitude 7.8 rupture along the San Andreas fault, cautioned that the resulting disaster would extend beyond a mere brief tremor — her models indicate it would result in extensive and catastrophic effects throughout the state.

Simulations indicate that the earthquake would result in almost two minutes of intense, continuous shaking, leading to fatal traffic congestion and severely impacting essential infrastructure, such as water systems that traverse the fault line.

According to Dr. Jones, this fault is the longest in the state, making it capable of producing the most significant earthquakes.