LA Times-Geologists Say California Is Long Overdue for "The Big One"

San Andreas Fault In Southern California: LA Times

(Story reported by Rong-Gong Lin II for the LA Times)

Southern California is overdue for a major earthquake along the San Andreas fault, according to a landmark study released Friday.

The long-awaited study came after scientists spent years studying the geology of the Carrizo Plain area of the San Andreas, which is about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles. It found that earthquakes along the San Andreas fault have occurred far more often than previously believed.

"What we know is for the last 700 years, earthquakes on the southern San Andreas fault have been much more frequent than everyone thought," said UC Irvine researcher Sinan Akciz said in a statement. "Data presented here contradict previously published reports."

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