Concord Fault That Saw 3.6 Magnitude Quake Has Potential To Do Major Damage To East Bay
CONCORD (CBS SF) -- The Concord fault that shook to the tune of a 3.6 magnitude earthquake Sunday has the potential to do major damage in the East Bay.
"It does have the potential for a large event," USGS Seismologist Dr. David Schwartz told KCBS news following Sunday's quake.
The Hayward and San Andreas faults steal most of the spotlight, but the Concord fault stretching from the Mount Diablo foothills to the Carquinez Strait could cause major damage due to its location.
"In many ways for the East Bay, this is the most urban fault," Schwartz said.
According to Schwartz, the Concord fault holds the potential to cause more damage than quakes of similar size along other Bay Area faults.
"If we saw a 6.0 on Concord, we could see far more damage than we did in Napa," Schwartz said, referring to a magnitude 6.0 earthquake along the Napa fault that caused millions of dollars in damage.
Sunday's quakes may have ruptured a water line four miles away in Walnut Creek that was reported leaking about an hour after the shaking stopped.
COMPLETE QUAKE COVERAGE: CBS Earthquake Resource Center
DID YOU FEEL IT?: USGS Shake Map For Northern California
LIVE QUAKE MAP: Track Real-Time Hot Spots
BAY AREA FAULTS: Interactive Map Of Local Faults