California IN BRIEF : BURLINGAME : ‘Big One’ Called Still a 50-50 Bet

Despite the major earthquake in October, the San Francisco Bay Area still faces a 50-50 chance of another 7.0-magnitude temblor in the next 30 years--and it probably will be centered in a more heavily populated area, scientists said. “We think the Loma Prieta earthquake has not affected this probability at all and certainly has not decreased it,” said Dr. James Dietrich of the U.S. Geological Survey. The prediction, which scientists are attempting to refine, was made to Gov. George Deukmejian’s 11-member Board of Inquiry, which is investigating the Oct. 17 quake.