Well that didn't take long. A 5.8 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck just East of Los Angeles about thirty minutes ago, 11:42am, Pacific Time. This isn't all that big, but probably enough for folks living in nearby Pomona and Chino HIlls to get a frightening shimmy.
CNN is reporting the shaking was strong enough to temporarily shut down rides at Disneyland for inspection, and for people in San Diego and Las Vegas to feel a shudder.
Aftershocks up to 3.8 are popping off right near the epicenter as I type, which is routine. Depth is reported to be about ten seven miles down and from the map it looks to be on either the Whittier or Chino faults.
If you felt it, you can report your experience to the US Geological Survey here.
One thing that will be interesting to see is if the new quake was enough to significantly alter the stress fields along other faults in the area. The LA area, like much of Cali is a jumble of faulted rock. Letting some stress go on one fault can build it up along another one, and lead or a major quake down the road.It's probably nothing to worry about, but stay tuned to for the USGS's new calculations.
Note: updates coming as USGS refines magnitude/depth estimates.
Update: The LA Times has a good article here which looks like it's being update regularly as more info becomes available. It's already got around 600 comments. (damage photo: LA Times)
UPdate #2: Early reports said that cell phone networks were overwhelmed following the quake. Now the LA Times is reporting that both wireless AND wired phone networks were overwhelmed. Many residents couldn't get dial tones on their landlines, and worse, some sheriff's offices didn't have service. Networks were so swamped that authorities even issued pleas to citizens to cease any non-emergency calling, lest 911 calls didn't make it through.
Wait a second -- even calls to 911 were in danger of not making it through? This was a moderate earthquake that caused only the lightest damage to physical structure. What happens when a truly destructive temblor hits southern California?
And is this shortcoming of emergency planning limited to the Los Angeles area, or are phone networks everywhere ill-equipped to handle disaster-type calling loads? 911 service appears to be vulnerable to blockage when people need it most. Could this be true across the country, too? Not a comforting thought.
i was taking a test, i didn't really feel the earthquake, but most my classmate did. but i did see the map hunged on a shell on the wall shaked hard. i am afraid it will have a strong one in the night recently.BTW, i am in Northridge,CA.
Posted by: Sage Kitty | July 29, 2008 at 04:55 PM
Not a bad way to start your new blog. Fortunately it's been fairly tame. Good luck with the blog.
Posted by: Mark | July 29, 2008 at 05:16 PM
L A area won't have the devastation for what
the Bay area will experience. Go to www.unknownprophet.com to find out what I'm talking about.
Posted by: Arent Loger | July 29, 2008 at 05:43 PM
i just talked to my brother in big bear and it shook them as well...but good apparently.
Posted by: lara | July 29, 2008 at 06:03 PM
We certainly felt it in San Fernando, but we had no damage. In Mission Hills, where my mother works, they felt it faintly. Where my husband works on the Westside of Los Angeles they evacuated buildings.
Posted by: Michele | July 29, 2008 at 08:18 PM
Parents live in Corona, approximately 10 miles from epicenter. They said they had 2 picture mirrors fall (one shattered, one just fell off the mountings), driveway had a new crack in it, and some curios in a cabinet had fallen over.
Posted by: Marc | July 30, 2008 at 12:07 AM
I HOPE THERE ARE NO MORE PROBLEMS OUT THERE!! GOOD LUCK. ECONOMY IS DOWN, CRIME IS UP, PROTECT YOUR HOME AND FAMILY, WWW.YOUBSAFE.COM
Posted by: Chris | July 30, 2008 at 08:29 AM
For anyone who is interested in following earthquakes, I just wanted to put in a plug for my Pet Project:
USGS Earthquake Notification Service
https://sslearthquake.usgs.gov/ens
It's an automated system that provides earthquake notification by email and SMS. You can pick from over 50 different geographic regions, as well as define your own custom regions. You can also set up your own magnitude thresholds for notification.
Posted by: Stan | August 05, 2008 at 12:06 PM
Yes - the phone system here in SoCal is VERY weak. On November 13, there will be a statewide training exercise called Golden Guardian that supposes that The Big One hits, and has the aim of practicing interagency coordination and citizen training. Considering how much we need such practice, I worry about how few people know about this exercise. My husband is a surveyor for a county road dept., and his department won't even be participating, despite the need that will exist for road rebuilding and certainly bridge rebuilding after the One. As for the phones, forget them. What would a person say after a regional event anyway, when calling 911? They would know there was a quake. Water and power will be out for at least a week or two - deal with it. You'll be on your own - the authorities will be busy, even if you paid your taxes. Get the house prepared, and if you can, get a Ham Radio license and a radio; practice, and arrange emergency power for your residence. Then you can at least reassure your relatives that you're hanging in there, through the use of the Ham Radio communications nets. Nature has not really been conquered, not even by tract housing.
Posted by: GeoMajored | August 14, 2008 at 03:47 PM