A series of strong quakes abroad and smaller ones at home has Californians increasingly asking the same question: Is the “Big One” looming?

Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater struck within days of each other in Alaska and Japan earlier this week.

The first quake hit in Alaska on Dec. 6 with a magnitude of 7.0, the second, a 7.6 mega-quake, hit northern Japan on Dec. 8, prompting tsunami warnings that were later lifted after causing at least 30 injuries and spurring mass evacuations.

The Alaska earthquake was felt across a 500-mile radius near its epicenter along the Canada border and came weeks after a 6.0 magnitude jolt in the state on Thanksgiving Day.

Aftershocks have been recorded for both the Japan and Alaska earthquakes.

On Dec. 8, Japanese authorities warned an

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