The Carpinteria Fault hasn't done much in the past few thousand years. However, it is probably part of the Red Mountain System...and, of course, the channel down there is filled with faults.

I am curious to see if this becomes part of a "swarm." In my 30 years of living in the SB area, we experienced several nerve-wracking swarms of quakes around 3-4 magnitude lasting several weeks, and only one 5 plus in 1978 (?). There are some major potential problems down there with larger quakes and any subsequent tsunami would hit the coast before any sort of meaningful warning could occur.

I haven't seen any data on quake, but would suspect thrust or normal faulting. The faults in that area do all kinds of things, including re-activate from tension to compression. I remember one geologist at UCSB calling an antiform offshore as the "Beast in the Channel," because it represented a major possible movement of near 7. The oil companies love it, of course, because these structures trap the petroleum and gas.

Sigh. Sorry that I missed it! Been gone from that area near 2 years now.