But it turns out that the Los Angelenos who live closest to the San Andreas Fault are more affluent than those living further away. The key reason appears to be a law that was originally passed to reduce damage during a major quake, according to a new paper in the journal Earth's Future, which is published by the American Geophysical Union.
The massive earthquake that walloped Japan nearly two years ago is still bringing some unfortunate news. The quake happened in an area where it was assumed it shouldn't - and a new model shows how the type of fault involved can turn destructive, seismologists say. The new findings could force governments and researchers to reevaluate seismic hazards in areas that were thought to be at low risk for earthquakes.