New Worst-Case Scenario for L.A.

USGS scientists have determined that under certain very rare circumstances, a large earthquake on the northern San Jacinto fault near Riverside and San Bernardino could trigger a cascading rupture of the Sierra Madre-Cucamonga fault system, potentially causing a magnitude 7.5-7.8 earthquake on the edge of the Los Angeles metropolitan region. The faults involved are close to the densely populated Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino areas, and the shaking and damage from such an event could possibly exceed even those of the "Big One'' on the San Andreas fault. See the USGS News Release.