LOS ANGELES (BNO NEWS) — If you went on Twitter or Facebook on Tuesday morning, you may have heard that a major earthquake is due to strike Southern California in the next few days. But is it real?

“80 HOUR MAJOR EARTHQUAKE WARNING; 6.0 to 7.0 earthquake likely in S California in the next 80 hrs,” a message from Twitter user “Quakeprediction” said. It was ‘retweeted’ by more than 1,000 people, causing it to spread quickly over the popular social networking website and leaving people wondering if it is real.

The rumor even forced the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) to put out a special statement to say it is a hoax. “Although the broad scientific community has been working relentlessly to give us better information about earthquakes and their behavior, being able to predict when earthquakes will strike is not something they can do at this point,” said Cal EMA Secretary Matt Bettenhausen.

“The fact is that we live in a very seismically active state where an earthquake may occur anytime. That means we must take steps now to prepare for any event,” Bettenhausen continued. “Rumors can be scary, but being prepared is something that can truly help you feel better about your ability to survive the next big quake.”

The purpose of the “Quakeprediction” Twitter account and its website is likely to cause panic and confusion, as the person or people behind it have spread numerous false warnings over the past year. It regularly ‘predicts’ major earthquakes to hit California, but none have turned out to be true.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) agreed that it is not possible to predict an earthquake. “Neither the USGS nor Caltech nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake,” the agency said. “They do not know how, and they do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future.”

However based on scientific data, probabilities can be calculated for potential future earthquakes. For example, the USGS said, scientists estimate that over the next 30 years the probability of a major earthquake occurring in the San Francisco Bay area is 67% and 60% in Southern California.

“The USGS focuses their efforts on the long-term mitigation of earthquake hazards by helping to improve the safety of structures, rather than by trying to accomplish short-term predictions,” the USGS added.

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