Earthquake Fault Puts California at Risk for Tsunami

Scientists say the earthquake fault that runs through the coastal city of Ventura, Calif., can produce strong shaking and dangerous tsunamis, prompting state officials to study whether to revise hazard maps.

The new research shows the Ventura fault is more dangerous than previously thought, capable of quakes as large as magnitude 8 that could spawn a tsunami that begins in the Santa Barbara Channel and affect coastal communities to the south.

A major earthquake on the Ventura fault is estimated to occur every 400 to 2,400 years. The last major quake hit about 800 years ago.