Fault along California coast could unleash earthquake on scale of San Andreas, study shows

LOS ANGELES — A fault system running nearly 70 miles along the coast of Los Angeles and Orange counties has the potential to trigger a magnitude 7....

September 24, 2022
5:16 AM

LOS ANGELES — A fault system running nearly 70 miles along the coast of Los Angeles and Orange counties has the potential to trigger a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, according to a new study that is the latest to highlight the seismic threats facing Southern California. Known as the Palos Verdes fault zone, the system runs deep beneath the Palos Verdes Peninsula. It previously was thought to be a segmented network of smaller faults, but a closer look by scientists at Harvard University suggests it's a system of interconnected, closely spaced planar fractures stretching from the Santa Monica Bay to the waters off Dana Point.

Salvador Hernandez