Los Angeles 'Big One' Could Come Sooner Than Expected

Strong earthquakes along the San Andreas fault in southern California are more frequent than previously thought, so the dreaded Big One could be just around the corner, US researchers said Friday in a study.

University of California at Irvine and Arizona State University scientists examined the geological record stretching back 700 years along the fault line 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of Los Angeles.

They found that strong earthquakes -- between 6.5 and 7.9 magnitude -- shook the area every 45-144 years, instead of the previously established 250-400 years.

Since the last big 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck southern California in 1857, or 153 years ago, scientists believe the next Big One could happen at any time.

The scientists on Friday provided an abstract of their study, which will be published in full in the September 1 issue of the magazine Geology.

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 the study's lead author Sinan Akciz.

Data presented here contradict previously published reports, he added.

With 37 million people living in southern California, chiefly in the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and Anaheim, a major earthquake could kill between 2,000 and 50,000 people and cause billions of dollars in damage, scientists said.

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