The clock is ticking. A new study by
a researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography has produced
the clearest picture to date of the stress accumulating along the
southern
portion of the San Andreas Fault. It is an area that hasn’t
produced a major
quake in at least 300 years.
Yuri Fialko of Scripps has developed a highly detailed depiction
of the southern San Andreas’ slow but steady movements. It
shows that if the accumulated strain is released in
a single event, it could produce an earthquake, roughly the size
of the 1906 San Francisco event.
“Exactly when the triggering will happen we cannot tell,” says
Fialko. “It could be tomorrow or it could
be 10 years or more from now.”
A giant earthquake on the
southern San Andreas, a 100-mile segment that cuts through Palm
Springs and a number of other cities
in San Bernardino, Riverside and Imperial counties, would be
felt throughout much of Southern California. 
Contributors to Making Waves: Mario Aguilera, '89, Marnette Federis, '06, Beverly Gallagher, '98, Raymond Hardie and Inga Kiderra.
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