Southern San Andreas Earthquake Scenario
This portion of the San Andreas fault has been identified as the most likely source of a very large earthquake in California. In this computer simulation constructed through a collaborative effort between the United States Geological Survey and the Southern California Earthquake Center, the magnitude 7.8 scenario earthquake ruptures 186 miles from Bombay Beach at the edge of the Salton Sea in the south to Lake Hughes northwest of Palmdale in the north.