Stressed? Recent Mexico Quake Shifted Fault Tension to LA

The 7.2 quake that rattled south of the border over Easter earlier this year could have a powerful impact on Los Angeles, thanks to increased tension on local fault lines that has shifted since the springtime shaker, according to The LA Times.

A new NASA radar imaging system shows changes in the land following the April quake, which allows scientists to compare older maps with newer ones. They were able to see movement on at least six faults, including ones which "run close to heavily populated areas in eastern Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire."

The "bad news" for L.A. is that one of the six faults, the Elsinore fault, "might be capable of a magnitude 7 earthquake if its entire length were to rupture in a single event."

Previously
First Quake Map of California in 16 Years Shows 50 New Fault Lines
The Mexicali Earthquake Shifted the Earth's Crust 10 Feet
7.2 Mexicali Quake Could Have Made Other Local Faults Riskier