LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. geologists recently found that a believed-to-be dormant earthquake fault is active, posing a quake threat up to 6.4 magnitude to Los Angeles for centuries to come, local media reported on Saturday.
The Wilmington Blind-Thrust fault, which stretches along the L.A. coast, could trigger an earthquake in the magnitude-7 range if linked with other faults, according to researchers from Harvard University, University of South California and the U.S. Geological Survey.
The fault, about 20 km in length, runs northwest from Huntington Beach toward Santa Monica Bay, according to the research.
Researchers have known for decades that the fault existed, but it was long thought to be dormant and therefore of no concern for nearby residents.
The research group led by Harvard doctorial student Franklin Wolfe, however, found that the fault is in fact alive and kicking and could affect the overlying ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
"It doesn't rupture frequently, but it's like a sleeping giant beneath the harbor, " Wolfe said. "Just because it's slow, doesn't mean it's not dangerous."
Wolfe said that the fault could be expected to rupture sometime in the next 3,000 to 5,000 years.
