You really, really shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.
This week, a lot of news outlets have been warning of an incoming ‘mega-earthquake’, set to flatten cities around the world.
There’s just one, tiny problem.
While there have been several of earthquakes in the past week, the quote used to predict a ‘mega quake’ is actually several months old – and about earthquakes in India.
Scientist Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado DID warn of risks of ‘mega-earthquakes – but in January, and specifically in the Himalayas.
But the quote, ‘The current conditions might trigger at least four earthquakes greater than 8.0 in magnitude. And if they delay, the strain accumulated during the centuries provokes more catastrophic mega earthquakes,’ has been jumped on by conspiracy sites, reported as if it was said this week, and is now circulating around the world.


View of a fallen building after a 7.8-magnitude quake in Portoviejo, Ecuador on April 17, 2016. At least 77 people were killed when a powerful earthquake struck Ecuador, destroying buildings and a bridge and sending terrified residents scrambling from their homes, authorities said Sunday. / AFP PHOTO / JUAN CEVALLOSJUAN CEVALLOS/AFP/Getty Images
View of a fallen building after a 7.8-magnitude quake in Portoviejo, Ecuador AFP/Getty


Until a scientist says something specific (and new) about the risks this week, you probably shouldn’t worry that a ‘megaquake’ is about to destroy the world.
More than 260 people died and 2,500 others were injured in the powerful quake in Ecuador, which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale – the strongest to hit the country since 1979.
A state of emergency has since been declared in six of Ecuador’s 24 provinces – with 10,000 armed forces deployed and 4,600 national police sent to the towns near the epicentre.
Homes, buildings and roads have been reduced to rubble – with more than 70% of the town of Pedernales, a town of 40,000, destroyed.