(KGTV) — Searches skyrocketed for "San Andreas Fault" following Friday's magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Southern California.
Despite this, the second quake to hit the San Bernardino County area in as many days was more than 100 miles away from the fault zone.
The 6.4- and 7.1-magnitude earthquakes near Ridgecrest on July 4 and 5 were along two other fault lines, according to USGS seismologist Lucy Jones.
RELATED: Examining San Diego's fault lines after Ridgecrest earthquake
USGS' map shows a few faults near the town, including the Garlock and Panamint Valley fault zones.
The mainshock began at the corner. We think the NE fault moved first, pulling away from and destabilizing the NW fault.
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) July 4, 2019
Despite this, internet searches for "San Andreas Fault" skyrocketed over the last two days, according to Google:
The San Andreas fault zone extends 800 miles from Cape Mendocino to just shy of the Mexico border. The network connects the Pacific tectonic plate and the North American plate, moving past each other horizontally at a rate of about 2 inches per year.
As for whether "The Big One" is coming, Jones says there's a "1 in 10 chance that Searles Valley will see another M7. That is a 9 in 10 chance that tonight's M7.1 was the largest."
RELATED COVERAGE:
- PHOTOS: 7.1M earthquake hits SoCal
- 6.4-magnitude earthquake rattles July 4th for Southern California, San Diegans
- San Diegan near epicenter during quake
- Why didn't San Diego get an alert after July 4's earthquake? It isn't ready
- Your homeowner's or renter's insurance won't help much after an earthquake. Here's why
