The odds of the earth moving beneath the feet of Southern Californians just got a lot higher. According to a newly published study, a fault line that stretches along that coast could produce earthquakes far more severe than previously suspected. The research centered on what has long been considered two distinct geological features: the Newport-Inglewood Fault and the Rose Canyon Fault. It turns out that these two systems are actually one continuous fault. Like an underwater scar, this fault traces a jagged route from San Diego Bay to the Los Angeles Basin. It runs parallel to several highly populated regions of the state and into Tijuana, Mexico, and is never more than 4 miles from shore. And, researchers say, an earthquake emerging from this fault could reach a magnitude of 7.4 on land—enough to cause considerable damage and deaths. The realization that it's one fault came from multiple sources of information. Seismic surveys done by oil companies decades ago and subsequently made