Q Dr. Raleigh, what are the chances of a big earthquake striking the United States over the next few years? A A great earthquake, with severe destruction of property and high loss of life, is inevitable in California. The likelihood of such an earthquake—with a magnitude of 8 or more on the seismological scale—is only a few percentage points per year. That doesn’t sound very high, but the point is that Q Dr. Raleigh, what are the chances of a big earthquake striking the United States over the next few years? AA great earthquake, with severe destruction of property and high loss of life, is inevitable in California. The likelihood of such an earthquake- with a magnitude of 8 or more on the seismological scale-is only a few percentage points per year. That does not sound very high, but the point is that