[archy]

There is such a long list of fault lines running through America, I don't know which if any will be the trigger, but once the dam breaks, things could get interesting fast

Like a chain reaction in which each split atom collides with two others, which then split four more, splitting 16, and so on, I think the cascading effect that follows that first trigger you describe is likely to follow that nuclear model.

[Travis McGee]

Within 6 months, nobody will remember what the trigger event was.