Dried

Pressure on the San Andreas fault from a now-dried lake could have been

Pressure on the San Andreas fault from a now-dried lake could have been sufficient to trigger past major earthquakes in California. The lake's disappearance could explain why there have been no such quakes for nearly 300 years

By James Dinneen

7 June 2023

These mud hills were once at the bottom of Lake Cahuilla in California

David McNew/Getty Images

California is overdue for a major earthquake on the southern San Andreas fault, which could be due to the absence of a large lake that may have triggered past quakes.

The San Andreas fault runs through California for 1200 kilometres, forming the boundary between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. The southern section of the fault, east of Los Angeles, has been abnormally quiet, with no large earthquakes for nearly 300 years despite an average gap …

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