To get an idea how seriously areas would be impacted by local earthquakes, geologists have mapped out scenarios that could occur according to where earthquakes would occur along different faults in California, such as the Elsinore and Rose Canyon Faults.

Please remember that these are only scenarios and not forecast models. The average intensity for the Escondido area is approximately VI (and up to VII) for the average of the three quakes mentioned.

An intensity of VI would cause windows to break, gas/water lines to rupture, minor structural damage, etc., but shouldn't be large enough to cause bridges to collapse. It would be large enough to cause landslides, which most likely will create a problem on the roads in and out of Escondido.

An intensity of VII could cause some structural damage, chimneys could collapse, and power lines could be knocked down, etc.

A map of recent earthquakes in our area can be found at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map