The last two big earthquakes to hit Los Angeles — the 1971 Sylmar quake and 1994 Northridge quake — caused destruction and loss of life. This animation shows how intense shaking is directed from the San Andreas fault into the Los Angeles Basin. Today, some 23 million people live in eight counties in Southern California that could be hit hard in a southern San Andreas megaquake. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake could rupture the San Andreas fault between the Salton Sea, close to the Mexican border, through Lake Hughes in Los Angeles County. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are at risk of liquefaction in a major earthquake on the Palos Verdes fault.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 31, 2017 12:00 UTC