Scientists have been warning that Southern California is overdue for a massive earthquake, but new studies claim that a large earthquake is not the worst part of the news. They claim that the San Andreas Fault should see a major earthquake every 150 years. But the worse news is that in the past according to experts from California State University Fullerton and the United States Geological Survey discovered data that suggest older quakes led to the shoreline south of Long Beach to sink one-and-a-half to three feet.

According to Reuters Matt Kirby, a professor who worked with graduate student Robert Leeper on his paper suggested that a major quake today could result in that area ending up at or below sea level. The last major quake on the fault was in 1857 making another one ten years overdue. However, Seismologist John Vidale, head of the University of Washington-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, said that he reviewed the study and doubted that those powerful earthquakes could occur that frequently in the area. However, even if this is true it still means that an earthquake is due in the future while the population continues to rise.

The last major earthquake in Los Angeles was the 1994 Northridge earthquake which reached 6.7 on the Richter scale which resulted in at least 57 deaths and 8700 injuries. This incident resulted in much damage including parking structures at California State University, Northridge. It has been a pattern that earthquakes happen in Southern California every 25 years (much sooner if considering all of California) which also make a large earthquake in the LA area overdue as well. The lack of significant earthquakes in California is unprecedented and seems to be something for which every resident should be prepared. If you live in a region prone to natural disasters, you should have an emergency preparedness kit ready, emergency food, and especially drinking water.