An earthquake could destroy hundreds of buildings along California’s famed Sunset Strip, a new study has found.

An analysis conducted by the city of West Hollywood, an upscale enclave of Los Angeles that hosts much of the colourful route, found that more than 800 buildings in the area are uniquely vulnerable to a powerful tremblor.

“A significant earthquake will not only affect life safety, but also loss of shelter and significant economic loss”, the city said in announcing the numbers.

The study grew out of a city ordinance adopting a plan to seismically retrofit at-risk structures, guarding against the likelihood of the earth shaking.

Many of the vulnerable buildings identified are wood-frame structures, the kind of old housing stock that is more likely to collapse during a quake.

Fault lines running under California make the state especially susceptible to earthquakes, and urban planners are continually working to safeguard buildings and infrastructure.

Mexico City: How it's rebuilding after the September earthquake Show all 8 1 /8 Mexico City: How it's rebuilding after the September earthquake Mexico City: How it's rebuilding after the September earthquake Mexico City rebuilding after September earthquake A woman and two girls pass by a house which collapsed during the quake AFP/Getty Images Mexico City: How it's rebuilding after the September earthquake Mexico City rebuilding after September earthquake Technicians watch as a building seriously damaged by the September 19 earthquake is demolished AFP/Getty Images Mexico City: How it's rebuilding after the September earthquake Mexico City rebuilding after September earthquake A concert was held in aid of the victims of the September 19 earthquake, at the Zocalo Square in Mexico City on October 8 AFP/Getty Images Mexico City: How it's rebuilding after the September earthquake Mexico City rebuilding after September earthquake Rodrigo Diaz Mejia climbs over a crushed car into what was a second-story apartment AP Mexico City: How it's rebuilding after the September earthquake Mexico City rebuilding after September earthquake Presentation of the cultural program of Days of the Dead in Mexico City EPA Mexico City: How it's rebuilding after the September earthquake Mexico City rebuilding after September earthquake Workers tear down an earthquake-damaged building AP Mexico City: How it's rebuilding after the September earthquake Mexico City rebuilding after September earthquake Clowns take part in the 22nd Latin American clown convention at Revolucion monument in Mexico City REUTERS Mexico City: How it's rebuilding after the September earthquake Mexico City rebuilding after September earthquake A worker fills a water tank in the neighbourhood affected by the earthquake REUTERS

Looming large is what seismologists call the near-inevitably of “The Big One”, or a major quake on par with the magnitude 7.8 quake that leveled much of San Francisco in 1906.

As cities have sought to impose tougher retrofit requirements, elected officials have been working for years to establish and fund an early warning system that could give residents a crucial heads-up.

Male eagle takes flight after earthquake rocks nest in Santa Cruz, California

After a 7.9 earthquake reverberated off the coast of Alaska in January, spurring tsunami warnings up and down the west coast of the US, California Sen Dianne Feinstein emphasised the importance of better preparing residents.