The 6 February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria [4] have awakened fears of the Big One, an 8+ magnitude earthquake on the Ritcher scale, in several countries located along seismic faults.
Turkey is highly exposed to mega-earthquakes due to its location on three tectonic plates (Eurasian, African and Arabian). Istanbul seems to be the most vulnerable city to this large-scale catastrophic event.
The fear of the Big One also concerns California, known for its San Andreas fault, 1300 km long, starting south of Los Angeles and ending north of San Francisco. The State has recorded two major tremors in 1906 (magnitude 7.9) and in 1857 (magnitude 8.3). Experts believe that the U.S should be prepared for another Big One.
Other countries that represent a significant seismic risk include Japan, Chile, Peru and China.