(KTXL)-- If you live in California, eventually you will feel an earthquake, and depending on what part of the state you remain in, earthquakes might be a regular thing.

California registers hundreds of earthquakes annually, but the majority of these are of low magnitudes and may not even be felt by anybody. Just the state of Alaska has more-- and bigger-- earthquakes.

The Golden State typically gets 2 or 3 large earthquakes every year that are strong enough to cause moderate damage and they can take place at any time of the year, according to the California Department of Conservation.

Earthquakes are considered "moderate" if they are in between magnitude 5.0 – – 5.9," big" if they are between 6.0 – 6.9, "significant" indicates in between 7.0 – – 7.9, and "great" if they are above 8.0, according to the DOC.

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The so-called "Big One" that is discussed in California is a hypothetical magnitude 7.8 or more powerful earthquake that would likely happen in Southern California and trigger upwards of 1,800 deaths and more than $200 billion in damages, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The number of faults are in California?

Faults are fractures in the crust of the Earth where one side can move relative to the opposite, and these can be as long as numerous hundred miles.

There are more than 500 active faults and 15,700 known faults in the state, according to the California Earthquake Authority, an independent company developed by the state to manage earthquake-related insurance plan.

A lot of Californians live within 30 miles of an active fault, the CEA stated.

The faults lie throughout 2 plates in California, which are the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.

The primary limit in between those 2 plates is the San Andreas Fault, which runs north to south along the Northern California coast and after that moves inland in the southern part of the state and on to Baja California.

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What is the San Andreas Fault?

The "Big One" would happen along the San Andreas fault, and it would be so harmful due to the fact that of the big population that lives along it.

The San Andreas Fault runs for more than 800 miles in California, where it goes from the interior of the state in the south, rather parallel to the coast till it reaches the Pacific simply south of San Francisco.

From this point north, it meanders along the coast before heading west just south of Eureka.

Many Californians live and work on the west side of the fault, in the Los Angeles location, the central coast and part of the Bay Area.

To see where if you live here a geological fault, click or tap here.

What triggers earthquakes?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, an earthquake is brought on by movement on a fault. The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, however they get stuck at their edges due to friction, the USGS said.

"When the tension on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that launches energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel," the USGS website reads.