Stress on San Andreas Fault may be at highest level in 1,000 years, new study finds

SAN DIEGO — A new study is drawing attention to California's biggest earthquake threat, with researchers concluding that stress levels along the San Andreas Fault system may be at their highest point in the past 1,000 years.

The research, led by Earth scientists at the University of Hawaii, used a physics-based computer model to estimate how much tectonic stress has built up along the San Andreas and San Jacinto fault systems in southern California. Researchers combined geological records, seismic data and other measurements to reconstruct a millennium of earthquake history and compare it to present-day conditions.

Their findings suggest stress l...