fault zone

The Elsinore fault zone is actually one of the largest in Southern California, according to Caltech, but “in historical times, has been one of the quietest.”

The Elsinore fault zone runs from the Sonoran Desert in Imperial County through the western edge of Riverside County communities like Temecula, Murrieta and Lake Elsinore.

Geological Survey, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the Elsinore fault zone, including the Whittier fault, could bring “violent” shaking — enough to heavily damage buildings or even jolt them off their foundations — over a relatively large area of the Southland, including El Monte, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Pico Rivera, Whittier, La Habra, Brea, Yorba Linda, Placentia, Chino Hills, Corona, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta and Temecula.

The San Jacinto fault zone starts at the Cajon Pass and moves southeast through San Bernardino and Riverside County before heading into Imperial County.

“There’s some risk that it could be the next one,” Scharer said of the risk of a Big One on the Elsinore fault zone.