Hi Chris. Over the past 5 months there appears to have been a slight increase in quakes off the coast of Southern California and to a certain extent off the coast of central and Northern California.

There have been quakes in the off shore areas in the past, but not this close to one another time wise. It may be that the San Simeon quake, which was a thrust quake has given the off shore faults some room to move.

The biggest danger is not the quake itself, but the tsunami that could be generated. There are some steep canyons off shore in which an undersea slide could occur. That wouldn’t require a large quake to trigger one.

Scientists with the Seismological Society of America say the southern California coast is at risk from tsunamis due to a variety of sources, including both underwater landslides and near-shore earthquakes.

Some scenarios could produce damaging tsunamis that extend all the way from Los Angeles to San Diego, with major port facilities likely to be hit particularly hard. Take Care…Don in creepy town