Hold onto your seats, Californians! A startling new study reveals that the next massive earthquake along the infamous San Andreas Fault could be more catastrophic than previously imagined.

Insights drawn from the devastating March earthquake in Myanmar—a disaster that claimed over 5,000 lives—shed light on how fault lines behave unexpectedly. The Sagaing Fault, a notorious seismic corridor, ruptured across a larger area than scientists had anticipated, challenging our understanding of seismic activity.

Part of what makes earthquake prediction so tricky is the unpredictable nature of faults—fractures in the Earth’s crust where stress accumulates until a sudden rupture occurs. Geologists are now drawing parallels between the Sagaing Fault and California's own San Andreas, suggesting that the patterns we once thought clear may not hold true.

Jean-Philippe Avouac, a Caltech geology professor and study co-author, emphasizes that future quakes may differ significantly from past ones. He warns, "Successive ruptures can release unexpected amounts of energy, potentially exceeding what we've seen before." This means Californians might face an entirely new level of seismic threat.

The sprawling San Andreas Fault stretches about 746 miles (1,200 kilometers) from the south at the Salton Sea to the north off Mendocino. Historical earthquakes, notably the catastrophic 7.9 magnitude quake in 1906 that killed over 3,000, serve as chilling reminders of the fault's potential danger.

Scientists have long predicted that California is overdue for a significant earthquake, especially around the Los Angeles area, where there is a staggering 60% chance of experiencing a quake of magnitude 6.7 or greater in the next three decades.

Much like the Sagaing Fault, the San Andreas Fault is a strike-slip fault—meaning rocks slide horizontally without much vertical movement. Recent studies indicated that the Sagaing Fault was expected to rupture across a specific stretch of 190 miles (300 km), which hadn’t seen significant seismic activity since 1839. This assumption fell through when the realignment occurred along more than 310 miles (500 km) of the fault, exceeding expectations.

Using cutting-edge satellite imaging techniques, researchers observed that after the Myanmar quake, portions of the fault moved relative to one another, showcasing the potential for unforeseen seismic behavior.

As scientists continue to decode the mysteries of fault lines, one truth becomes undeniable: Californians must remain vigilant—Mother Nature has a way of keeping us on our toes.