Fault Considered Time Bomb : The Big One

It begins beneath the Pacific Ocean off Crystal Cove State Park, then silently glides inland between the Newport and Balboa piers. From there, an earthquake zone known as the Newport-Inglewood Fault continues northward up the Orange County coast on a 45-mile journey through the heart of the Los Angeles Basin.

Scientists regard it as nothing less than a geological time bomb.

In a study published last year, officials declared that a major quake along this lesser-known fault--because it is literally under our feet--would be worse than a greater one on the more infamous San Andreas, 30 miles northeast.

“There won’t be anybody in the county who won’t be affected,” one official said recently. “A lot of people will be homeless. A lot of businesses will cease to operate for a long time. . . . There is no way to predict, to imagine the disruption.”

When Hurricane Hugo ripped through the Carolinas last month, 24 people died and damage reached $3-billion. But a major quake on the Newport-Inglewood, experts say, could kill 4,400 people and cause $60-billion damage.

The likely impact on Orange County’s 2.1 million residents is presented in a fact-based scenario in today’s Life section, along with a two-page color map (N8-N9) and a Clipboard guide to making your home a safe haven (N2).