New San Andreas study: Yeah, Big One still coming

After the Pacific Ocean, the San Andreas Fault is the geographic feature that most shapes California's physical environment — and future. A detailed and long-awaited study of the fault found that earthquakes along the fault were more numerous than previously believed, adding to evidence that we are overdue for a very, very large and potentially catastrophic event. The scientists, reporting today in the journal Geology, looked at the Carrizo Plain segment of the fault up the coast. There's also a new computer simulation of an 8.0 magnitude quake further north in the Parkfield area that shows the waves pretty much engulfing Southern California. It may not run in all browsers, so I've hidden the simulation after the jump. Or you can go watch it with related materials at the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

Also: Tour the fault online via Time magazine.