BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- Dr. Matt Herman with the Department of Geological Sciences at California State University, Bakersfield joined 17 News at Noon to talk about the dangers of large earthquakes.

Dr. Herman described what an 8.8 earthquake is and the definition of the rating scale used.

"An 8.8 rating, if we are thinking about it in terms of energy, is 16 times bigger than a magnitude 8," said Dr. Herman. "It's not just a little bit larger...this is a really big earthquake, a bit closer to a magnitude 9 in nature and size."

Magnitude 8.8 is in the top 10 largest earthquakes since 1900, and the biggest since the 2011 Japan earthquake.

Dr. Herman also discussed what Californians can expect since a tsunami watch was issued in parts of the state.

"This type of earthquake is very l

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