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4.6 magnitude earthquake rattles SoCal; no damage reported
Environment Feb 10, 2024
This epicenter map measures the recent Malibu earthquake. | Image courtesy of the USGS
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A 4.6 magnitude earthquake centered near Malibu reverberated throughout Southern California on Friday, startling residents and prompting an emergency response from local fire departments.
The quake, which occurred at 1:47 p.m., was situated nearly 8 miles west of Malibu, near Pacific Highway at the Ventura County line and registered significant attention on the on the U.S. Geological Survey’s ‘Did You Feel It?’ map.
In the immediate aftermath, no casualties or structural harm was reported. Feb. 9 was the 53rd anniversary of the 6.5 magnitude Sylmar earthquake.
Seismologists, including Southland-based Lucy Jones, emphasized that the earthquake was unrelated to either the rainstorms that had recently drenched the region or a quake in Hawaii that struck two hours earlier.
Local fire departments and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department executed “earthquake mode” protocols, ensuring the safety of infrastructural elements like freeway overpasses and power lines.
The LA County Fire Department’s precautionary message, echoed on social media platforms, urged residents: “If Inside When Shaking Starts: DROP, COVER, HOLD ON!”
While relief swept through the community with no reported damage, Jones remarked on the earthquake’s depth of over 8 miles and brought to light the possibility of a stronger earthquake always looming, with any seismic activity could potentially be a prelude to more significant quakes. However, she said the likelihood of this reduces as time progresses, with only a roughly 5% chance of any temblor being a fore-shock of a larger event.
The USGS documented over a dozen aftershocks, with the largest shaking measured at magnitude 3.0.
Malibu and nearby areas such as Westlake Village, as well as more distant locations such as Orange County to the south and Bakersfield to the north plus Chula Vista near the Mexican border, noticed the impact of the earthquake, experiencing the sudden jolt for durations lasting up to eight seconds.
As reported by MyNewsLA.com and the Times of San Diego
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