Southern California Overdue for 'The Big One

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New research shows that more big earthquakes have hit California's San Andreas Fault in the past several centuries than previously thought.

The last major jolt to the Carrizo Plain segment of the San Andreas occurred in 1857 when a magnitude-7.9 quake struck.

Using radiocarbon dating, researchers from the University of California, Irvine, and Arizona State University found evidence of five other large quakes that occurred before 1857.

They calculated that the interval between the last six quakes was 88 years on average. Previously, scientists believed big quakes hit the San Andreas every 200 years.

The findings appear in the September issue of the journal Geology.

Scientists have said California is overdue for a "Big One" on the San Andreas.

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