That 5m accumulated slip is nothing to sneeze at is a bit of an understatement!

It brings to mind the question: What was the slip in 1857? The SCEC site report says:

"The surface rupture caused by the quake was extensive. The San Andreas fault broke the surface continuously for at least 350 km (220 miles), possibly as much as 400 km (250 miles), with an average slip of 4.5 meters (15 feet), and a maximum displacement of about 9 meters (30 feet) (possibly greater) in the Carrizo Plain area. Kerry Sieh (1978) noted that the Elkhorn Thrust, a low-angle thrust fault near the San Andreas, may have slipped simultaneously in the 1857 quake -- an observation that a team of researchers (1996) have recently used to support the idea that future movements along the San Andreas fault zone might produce simultaneous rupture on thrust faults in and near the Los Angeles area, causing a terrible "double earthquake"."

Gee... if one were to speculate - average 4.5 meter slip - 5m strain built up....Hmmm.. Did I tell you I'm headed out of town for 1 month - there's a large correlation between large local quakes and my travels....(tongue in cheek...)

Canie

• SCEC report 1857 Fort Tejon quake