Puente Hills Fault ( also known as the Puente Hills thrust system ) is an active geological fault that is located in the Los Angeles Basin in California . The thrust fault was discovered in 1999 and runs about in three discrete sections from the Puente Hills region in the southeast to just south of Griffith Park in the northwest . The fault is known as a blind thrust fault , as the fault plane does not extend to the surface . Large earthquakes on the fault are relatively infrequent but computer modeling has indicated that a major event could have substantial impact in the Los Angeles area . The fault is now thought to be responsible for one moderate earthquake in 1987 ( the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake ) and another light event that took place in 2010 , with the former causing considerable damage and deaths
1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake
1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake
Puente Hills Fault