Los Angeles Earthquake

“	The San Andreas fault is shifting...	„
	~ Adrian Helmsley

The Los Angeles Earthquake (also known as the San Andreas Earthquakes) was a series of 10.9 magnitude earthquakes that struck Los Angeles and its surrounding areas.

It was the first major catastrophe to occur during the 2012 Apocalypse. The earthquake started violently as Kate, Noah, Lilly, and Gordon were having breakfast and watching the government press conference. Jackson rescued his family and Gordon out of the house and drove through the crumbling city of Los Angeles, with the surface ground crumbling and collapsing into the Earth's Crust. The Curtis family and Gordon escaped on a private plane just as the earthquake started taking its full toll. In the aftermath, the remnants of the land behind the San Andreas fault sank into the Pacific Ocean.

Background[]

Morning before the Massive Earthquake[]

Arriving at the Curtis Household to drop off Noah and Lilly, he got a call from Yuri to go pick up Alec and Oleg.

Jackson soon arrived and took them to Santa Monica Airport and meets Sasha. Turning on his radio, he picks up Charlie Frost's station, who states that California was gonna sink, just as he feels his car rock. He headed into a nearby hangar and rented a plane by giving his watch to a pilot who owned it.

In the Curtis Household, the family were having breakfast and were listening to the government's press conference, with Jackson calling to warn them about the coming earthquake. Kate doesn't believe him and hangs up.

The Massive Earthquake Strikes[]

Soon after, the ground jolted and the family hid under the table, the house starting to collapse on top of them. Jackson soon arrives and gets them to leave, the house collapsing moments after they exit and clamber into the limo for all but Lilly. Kate quickly pulled Lilly, the door getting sheared off by a mailbox, while the limo hit Gordon's Porsche and pushed it into the Earth's crust.

Jackson sped down the street, the ground erupting and crumbling beneath the limo. Soon, the limo ends up behind an elderly woman's yellow car slowly driving in front of them, forcing Jackson to drive around and into several yards. The ground then erupts in front of the women, who crash into it, the limo soon after ramping off a piece of road.

Jackson continued to drive, avoiding collapsing structures around him. The limo got covered with sludge from one of these building and he narrowly dodges the rolling Randy's Donuts sign that broke away from its shop. As they drive to Santa Monica Airport, the freeway overpass began to collapse, sending a speeding cement truck off the collapsing bridge and into a gas station.

Jackson tries to outpace the collapsing on his overpass hoping to get to other side before it blocks them. A parking garage next to them starts to collapse, spilling cars onto the street around the limo. The family also narrowly avoid falling into a sinkhole that opened in front of them. Jackson drives the limo under the collapsing overpass and makes it, but is then greeted by a collapsing office building. Jackson drives straight through the building as it falls apart around them and narrowly escapes though the other side.

Earthquake Report[]

Back in Washington DC, Adrian Helmsley gets informed by Scotty and Professor West that the earthquake is being measured at a 10.9. Professor West then shows images of Coachella Valley, Joshua Tree and Point Reyes, all of which had a huge canyon in them much like Los Angeles. Adrian and Professor West realized that the entire San Andreas Fault is shifting and that the whole Pacific Plate is destabilizing.

The City slides into the Pacific Ocean[]

Arriving at Santa Monica Airport, Jackson saw that the pilot of the plane he rented has been killed. Kate mentions that Gordon can fly a plane, but Gordon is hesitant since he only had a couple of lesson. Despite that, Gordon obliged and the group boarded the plane.

The crack, seemingly following them, reached Santa Monica Airport's runway while Gordon got the plane ready. Jackson forced Gordon take off, and just after, the ground below fell into the earth.

Despite only a few lessons, Gordon narrowly avoids many hazards, including falling freeway overpasses, buildings, a subway train, and many other pieces of land that broke off. He also knifed the plane between the Two And One California Plaza skyscrapers collapsing into each other, and avoid getting hit by the US Bank Tower.

Afterwards, Jackson began to explain everything about the apocalypse from Charlie to Kate, his kids, and Gordon of how they are going to survive by boarding the Arks. Gordon saw that the entire city was starting to sink into the Pacific Ocean, all watching Los Angeles sink into the ocean.

Known Casualties[]

California Governor
Two elderly women driving
Pilot
Millions of people living in California

Destroyed Locations[]

Hotel Figueroa
The Curtis Household
US Bank Tower
Santa Monica Airport
Two and One California Plaza
Santa Monica Pier
Randy's Donuts
The entirety of Malibu, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Pasadena

Notes[]

It is unclear whether or not California along with the rest of America is recreated when North America rose.
Presumably the Curtis family, Gordon Silberman, Alec and Oleg Karpov, and Sasha are the only known survivors of the Los Angeles Earthquake. Although it is possible that others survived if they managed to get on an airplane or flee the city earlier.
If a 10.9 earthquake occurred, not only it would be felt across the continent and could see up to 1 million deaths at a same time, but it would also be the largest earthquake recorded, surpassing the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile and 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake in Sumatera Islands, Indonesia.
According to multiple sources, an earthquake of magnitude 10.0 or up is physically impossible, meaning the earthquake that happened in the film is not possible and scientifically inaccurate.