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Earthquake Watch: Are we Overdue for 'The Big One'?
If you've been slacking on earthquake preparedness, maybe now is the time to take it seriously. A study released today indicates a portion of the San Andreas fault tends to produce a massive earthquake every 45 to 144 years. The last one from this region in Central California occurred on the fault in 1857, putting it nine years behind "schedule."
"What we know is for the last 700 years, earthquakes on the southern San Andreas fault have been much more frequent than everyone thought," UCI researcher Sinan Akciz said in a statement that was printed in the LA Times. "Data presented here contradict previously published reports."
Some 25 million people reside along the southern portion of fault, which extends between near the Mexico border and runs to Fresno. The Great California ShakeOut emergency preparedness event is on October 21st. In the meantime, its website has useful information to be prepared sooner than then.
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