Tsunami May Hit Southern California In 'Near Future'

Tsunami conditions are being formed in California Continental Borderland Region, according to a new study. The study asserted that there is a mishmash of seafloor faults off the coast of Southern California.

The research based its findings on the data from a depth survey, five years ago that covered more than 2,800 miles of fault lines on the ocean floor, and data from earlier surveys.

Focusing on the faults caused by the smash-up of the Pacific tectonic plate and the North American plate, researchers found that it produced two fault zones in the Borderland, namely, the Santa Cruz-Catalina Ridge Fault and the Ferrelo Fault.

Researchers further noted that the crust in the Borderland region was under the influence of both horizontal strike-slip forces as well as vertical compression forces.

According to the study, the vertical fault zones have displaced the sea floor, upping the risk of 7.9 to 8.0 earthquakes and tsunami waves, this magnitude of disaster could damage cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego.

 "We're dealing with continental collision in reference to the cause of the offshore danger. That's fundamental. That's why we have this mess of a complicated logjam," said Mark Legg, geologist of Legg Geophysical in Huntington Beach, California.

 "Such large faults could even have the potential of a magnitude 8 quake. This continental shelf off California is not like other continental shelves - like in the Eastern U.S," added Christopher Sorlien, geologists of the University of California at Santa Barbara and the co-author of the study.

The study was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface.