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Apr 14, 2008 10:03 am US/Pacific
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State Faces Threat Of Northridge-Size Quake By '37
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
California faces a 99.7 percent chance of being rocked by a Northridge-size earthquake in the next three decades.
That's according to a report Monday by the U.S. Geological Survey, Southern California Earthquake Center and California Geological Survey.
Researchers found the odds of such an event are higher in Southern California than Northern California, 97 percent versus 93 percent chance.
The last time a magnitude 6.7 quake hit California was the 1994 Northridge disaster, which killed 72 people, injured more than 9,000 and caused $25 billion in damage.
The latest analysis is the first time scientists calculated earthquake probabilities for the entire state using newly available data. The information can be used by decision makers to update building codes and emergency plans and set earthquake insurance rates.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)