A plausible explanation is that the larger 1912 earthquake ruptured the segment east of the August 1766 earthquake, and only the smaller 1912 event was on the 1766 rupture. The segmented nature of the fault may complicate the patterns: a short interval may be because the earthquakes occurred on different, adjacent segments of the fault, and sometimes a neighbouring segment may trigger an early release of the stress, causing a smaller and earlier event. The time since the last major earthquake on the segment of the fault close to the city is now over 250 years.