Tuesday's 5.1 magnitude earthquake along the Calaveras fault rattled nerves, but it's also serving as a reminder that the nearby Hayward fault is long overdue for a much larger quake.
"We want people to be aware of a Hayward potential event because that is the most likely fault to host a large earthquake," said Annemarie Baltay, a seismologist with the United States Geological Survey.
Baltay said a 5.1 magnitude earthquake along the Hayward fault would still only result in limited damage, but something closer to a magnitude 6.7 could do some harm.
"That’s where we’d start to expect some serious damage and where we really want people to be prepared," she said.
Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said Tuesday's quake did not increase the probability of "the big one" hitting the Hayward fault, mainly due to the distance between its epicenter and the major Bay Area fault.
"We could see a triggered earthquake within about 5 kilometers but no farther than that," she said. "Of course that's nowhere near the Hayward fault, so it has no more impact on it than it would on the San Andreas fault."
Sabrina Aranda lives along the Hayward fault, as evidenced by the number of cracks in her driveway created by smaller quakes over the years.
"I think for our community we always get a little bit rattled and wondering if this is going to be the big one," she said.
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