Hi Billon. If your thinking about the a repeat of the 1857 Fort Tejon quake you will have to look further north to find the epicenter for that quake.

It centered near the town of Parkfield. Population 36 at last count. I think there are times they may count a tourist or two. I know I spend a lot of time down there during the spring and fall hunting pigs.

There has been an on going debate as to where the quake really centered. Some say it was the near the town of Cholame (which you will miss if you blink your eyes) and there are those who say it was Parkfield or a little ways northwest of Parkfield near Middle Mountain. Middle Mountain is still quite active even today. Most of the quakes that occur near Parkfield occur in the area of Middle Mountain.

The area your referring to is known as the Carrizo Plain. Your correct when you say you see almost no activity there. There is also no evidence of a quake ever centering anywhere between Fort Tejon and Parkfield. That doesn’t mean there hasn’t been one, just that there is no evidence of one.

I checked the catalog (NEIC) and found that the largest quake to have occurred in a 10-mile radius in the area of the quake your referring to was a 6.0Ml on 10/23/1916 so it is very possible to have a quake of at least that magnitude. Using the same catalog I found no history of foreshocks before a moderate quake. Again that doesn’t mean there weren’t any. If there were any they were too small to be listed. Take Care…Don in creepy town

• Fort Tejon Quake