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Wednesday’s quake landed in the next bracket up, 5.5 to 6.0, which is where things start to get a little more serious. Buildings in that range can pick up slight damage. Go higher still, into the 6.1 to 6.9 zone, and the risk shifts toward real structural damage. Past magnitude 7.0, you’re in major earthquake territory, the kind capable of widespread destruction. And anything above magnitude 8.0 is in a category of its own, strong enough to flatten entire communities.