New research released this week found that a fault under the heart of San Diego can produce stronger and more frequent earthquakes than previously thought. It’s the second study in recent months pointing to heightened quake risks in the San Diego area. Here is a breakdown: San Diego’s Rose Canyon fault produces powerful earthquakes more frequently than once believed, according to researchers from San Diego State University.
SDSU scientists who studied the fault in Old Town determined that the system — which before about 1990 was thought to be inactive — generates a magnitude 6.5 to 6.8 earthquake about once every 700 years. Seismologist Tom Rockwell said that earlier work indicated that such quakes occur every 1,000 to 1,500 years on the 40-mile-long fault, which extends from San Diego Bay, through Old Town and across Mission Valley, and up Rose Canyon through Mt. Soledad, to offshore at La Jolla. READ MORE
