From www.channel2000.com

Fault Study Reveals Severe Quake Dangers A Quake On This Fault Could Create A Tsunami LOS ANGELES, Posted 9:10 p.m. PDT April 20, 2000 -- Scientists say they've known about a fault line that stretches from Mexico to the Santa Barbara Islands, but after a recent study they have a better idea of how dangerous it can be. Scientists use a small submarine to study the fault line. CBS 2 reveals exclusive details about a Southern California fault line. If an earthquake struck this particular fault line, scientists say the damage could be equivalent to the San Andreas temblor, CBS 2 News reported. "We could have an earthquake as big as 1906 for example or 1857. (Something similar) to the really big earthquakes about 7.8, 7.9," geologist Mark Legg told the television station. The prediction is based on the size of the fault, which is about 300 miles long. And in some places, the fault is just 50 miles off of Orange County cities. "That's because the fault bends and the bottom is pushed up. If you have a really big earthquake with very strong shaking, the shaking could last a minute," Legg said. Using a small submarine, Legg and another scientist were able to get into the fault and study it. In a worst case scenario, Legg suspects that if the fault were to rupture, the damage could create a tsunami with waves comparable to the ones that struck Hilo, HI in 1946. "(A tsunami) is like a surge that is faster than you can run," Legg said. "It would be like the one in Landers in 1992, a gentle roller but it would be very strong. This fault would aim the tsunami directly toward the coast." Damage from such a quake could be as widespread as the earthquake in Alaska in 1964, which caused a tsunami 1,000 miles away in Crescent Hills that killed 23 people. "Earthquakes don't have to disastrous. Earthquakes are survivable. Buildings, especially houses with wood frames do very well. Just be prepared," Legg said. If the fault ever became active, scientists say the public would be given at least 25 minutes of warning. Meanwhile, new video released Thursday shows a three-dimensional view of the Los Angeles area created from detailed mapping data gathered during NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The pictures show a 90-mile stretch of the San Andreas fault to its intersection with the Garlock fault in the Mojave Desert, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory told a news wire service. Scientists say the latest radar topography will help them construct one of the most detailed 3-D maps ever made of the Earth's surface. Copyright 2000 by