Quake Might Have Occurred on Fault Beneath Downtown
Tuesday's quake might have been on a fault that runs through downtown
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LOS ANGELES - FEBRUARY 28: Homes in the Hollywood Hills are threatened by landslide brought on by record rainfall February 28, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. At least three multi-million dollar homes have been evacuated and residents have been encouraged to evacuate near Mount Olympus with more rain forecast. The Century City skyline can be seen in the background. (Photo by J. Emilio Flores/Getty Images)
Seismologists said Tuesday morning's 4.4.-magnitude quake might have occurred on a fault that runs through downtown LA.
It's the Puente Hills thrust system. Seimologists said it's capable of producing a magnitude-7.5 earthquake.
Daniel Ponti of the USGS told the Whittier Daily News it's likely the quake occurred on the Puente Hills thrust system.
According to the journal Science, four major quakes have occurred along the fault in the past 11,000 years. The research was conducted by USC earth sciences professor James Dolan, USC graduate student Shari Christofferson and the man who originally discovered the Puente Hills fault, John Shaw of Harvard University.
Click here for a look at the study.
In a 2003 interview with the LA Times, seimologist Sue Hough described it as "the fault that could eat LA."
The fault is about 25 miles long. It stretches from northern Orange County to Beverly Hills.
Tuesday's quake was centered in Pico Rivera, about 10 miles east of downtown. It did not cause significant damage or injuries.
Also from that 2003 article: "The problem with this fault is the quakes are 7.5 and right beneath downtown," said Tom Jordan, director of the Southern California Earthquake Center, which also supported the new study. "It's kind of a worst-case scenario for L.A."
