A new study says an earthquake fault running from San Diego to Los Angeles is capable of producing a magnitude-7.4 temblor that could affect some of the most densely populated areas in California.
The study looked at the Newport-Inglewood and the Rose Canyon systems. They'd been considered separate but the study concludes they're one long fault running offshore from San Diego Bay and on land through the Los Angeles basin.
Study lead author Valerie Sahakian says the fault is never more than 6.5 kilometres offshore and even a moderately large quake could have a major impact on the region.
In 1933, a magnitude-6.4 quake struck the Long Beach area, killing 115 people.
The study was conducted by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.
