CALIFORNIANS bracing themselves for the next “big one” may not have long to wait. The most comprehensive set of studies ever carried out on the San Andreas fault all drive home the same grim finding – large areas are overdue for a major quake.
The 1200-kilometre fault runs under some of California’s most densely populated areas, and a big quake of magnitude 7 or above could easily disrupt the lives of 5 to 10 million people. Though most buildings in the region are designed to reduce the death toll in the event of a disaster, the economic consequences for areas such as Los Angeles or Silicon Valley…
