e was to strike such as in 1994, disaster relief schemes may be tested to the limit due to the large number of people that could possibly be affected.
             The principle reason behind Los Angeles being susceptible to earthquakes is due to the plate boundary nearby known as the San Andreas Fault. The San Andreas Fault forms a junction between the North American and Pacific plates. It is generally thought that the respective plates are moving in opposite directions but the reality is that both plates are travelling in a north-western direction but the pacific plate is actually moving faster (0.06 metres per annum); this gives the illusion that they are moving in opposite directions. At certain times, this sliding movements of the plates isn¡t exactly smooth, the faster Pacific plate may become jammed against the North American plate, this results in a build up of pressure that eventually enables the plate to jerk forwards overcoming the jam. These movements have resulted in several major earthquakes in Los Angeles and the state of California.
             Since 1933, there have been five major earthquakes that have measured at least 5.8 on the Richter scale; it seems that these relatively large seismic shocks are becoming more frequent over the past 30 years with the last one occurring in 1994 at Northbridge. The earthquake of January 17, 1994, (4:31 AM local time) that measured 6.7 on the Richter scale struck a modern urban environment generally designed to withstand the forces of earthquakes with an economic cost, nevertheless, has being estimated to be $20 billion. It was the result of movement along a thrust fault 20km beneath the ground that was unknown at that time. The timing of the earthquake was considered to be fortunate since a large proportion of people were at home rather than outside which they would have been if the earthquake occurred later during the day.
             „« 57 fatalities along with over 1500 people seriously injured
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