Residents in the San Francisco Bay Area are living along a fault that is a "ticking time bomb" that could generate an earthquake that could kill hundreds, according to a report released Wednesday.

The U.S. Geological Survey said in a report called the "HayWired Scenario" that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Hayward Fault located under Oakland could kill as many as 800 people and injure up to 18,000.

“This fault is what we sort of call a tectonic time bomb,” USGS earthquake geologist emeritus David Schwartz told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s just waiting to go off.”

Researches said the Hayward Fault is dangerous because it runs through "one of the most urbanized" areas in the nation, stretching along the East Bay from Richmond and Berkeley up north, through Oakland, and spanning south toward Fremont.

A map showing the potential shaking from an earthquake along the Hayward Fault, located along the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay.  (USGS)

The USGS, citing findings from a simulated tremor with an epicenter in Oakland modeled to take place at 4:18 p.m. on April 18, said the disaster would cause 400 fires that could destroy 50,000 homes. Nearly half a million people would be displaced, authorities said.

Researchers said East Bay residents could be without water from anywhere between six weeks to six months, according to the report. Electricity could be out for up to four weeks in some locations.