Earthquake fault in Ventura heightens California tsunami threat

Viviana Arias of Oxnard leads her quinceanera entourage from the Spanish mission in downtown Ventura. An earthquake runs through the area.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A major earthquake produced from the Ventura fault could shake up the area from Santa Barbara to L.A., scientists say.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Clearly, there would be a lot of damage in Ventura in the event of a major quake, one expert says. But it would affect an area for hundreds of miles.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

One study found that the inundation would be “severe right along the coast” but didn’t call for redrawing evacuation zones farther inland.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

For decades, some seismic experts believed the Ventura fault posed only a moderate threat and was incapable of producing a major temblor. Members of the band Kayde are reflected in a storefront window on Main Street in downtown Ventura.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)