New research challenges assumptions that the central part of the San Andreas fault would act as a barrier, preventing a big quake from traveling between the northern and southern parts of the state.
For decades, scientists have assumed the central portion of California’s San Andreas fault acts as a barrier that prevents a big quake in the southern part of the state from spreading to the north, and vice versa. As a result, a mega-quake that could be felt from San Diego to San Francisco was widely considered impossible.
via L.A. Times – California | Local News http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-sci-big-earthquakes-20130110,0,6015584.story?track=rss