'The Big One' Could Trigger More Large Quakes On Nearby Faults, Study Finds

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Seismologists have been warning Southland residents about "The Big One" overdue to strike the San Andreas Fault and inevitably cause billions of dollars in damage, and that's the short list of possible calamities.

Now, a new study released by USC suggests the massive temblor could trigger additional large earthquakes on nearby faults.

The San Andreas Fault has been quiet since a magnitude 7.9 shaker rattled California in 1857.

Researchers also determined that quake faults can stop moving for thousands of years. However, at some point, the pent-up energy stored in rocks will release in a series of sizable earthquakes.