The fault line that brought us Monday’s 4.4 magnitude earthquake is more dangerous to Los Angeles than the San Andreas, experts say.
Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones told KNX News’ Karen Adams that the Puente Hills fault, which was responsible for Monday’s quake and a couple others in June, poses a serious risk to the region.
“The Puente Hills fault is much more dangerous than the San Andreas because it sits underneath a very densely inhabited part of the Los Angeles basin,” she said.
The San Andreas, meanwhile, mostly runs beneath remote areas and mountains.
Jones said that a major quake on the San Andreas fault would leave about 800 people dead, according to models, while a similar quake on the Puente Hills fault would kill 3,000 to 18,000. However, she noted that these models were created before L.A. and other cities began their retrofitting programs, which could lower the death toll.
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L.A. County alone is responsible for a quarter of the nation’s seismic risk, Jones said. She emphasized that there are hundreds of faults running through Southern California, any of which could cause catastrophic quakes, so you shouldn’t worry too much about any individual fault.
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