The link is to the abstract of a paper that was just published on a blind thrust fault beneath southwest Los Angeles (probably is beneath all of Los Angeles and Long Beach). My rejected manuscript was on the offshore part of this structure. Our time frame is longer so we cannot address individual earthquakes, but we did demonstrate that the offshore folding is young. While we agree on the first order stuff, our offshore fault geometry is different than what has been published.

Their earthquake identification seems very solid. The only joker in this, which they did not address, is whether their steep fold axial surface is instead a blind, steep SW-dipping fault. If so, it could break together with the underlying NE-dipping flatter thrust, but need not do that every time. Also, the slip per event would be less if the shallow folding is above a steep fault. My evidence for this alternative is weak and they could be correct. Our offshore work does not address this.

Expect to see some insurance rates, especially of taller buildings, go up and the Compton ramp be put back into the California hazard models.

Chris

• abstract: compton thrust