Newport-Inglewood Fault

The Newport - Inglewood Fault is a thrust fault beneath metropolitan Los Angeles region in the U.S. state of California. It runs for a distance of about 46 miles ( 75 km) from Culver City southeast to Newport Beach and on into the Pacific Ocean.

The fault can be detected on the surface as a ridge of Culver City to Signal Hill. She moves about 0.6 millimeters per year and the expected magnitude could reach a thickness from 6.0 to 7.4 on the Richter scale.

Earthquake risk

The Newport - Inglewood Fault was first discovered in 1920 by an earthquake of magnitude 4.9. Since there were no provisions for earthquake-proof construction at this time, it came in Inglewood major damage to homes and infrastructure. The Long Beach earthquake in March 1933 destroyed large parts of the area along the crevice. The tremors reached a magnitude of 6.3 and had 115 deaths resulted.

On May 17, 2009, another earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 occurred on the Newport - Inglewood Fault. The epicenter was near Lennox. The tremors were felt in the distant cities San Diego and Las Vegas. A aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 was measured shortly thereafter at the same location.