On Friday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 shook the Los Angeles area, which has been hit by a series of winter storms since last week.
The epicenter of the quake was about 7 miles (11 kilometers) northwest of Malibu in a mountainous area near the coastline in northern Los Angeles County, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The accident occurred at 1:47 p.m. local time, according to the USGS.
At least two aftershocks with preliminary magnitudes of 2.7 and 3.0 were recorded after the magnitude 4.6 quake, according to the USGS.
Fred Fielding, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, told NBC Los Angeles that an earthquake of this magnitude would “only cause minor damage.”
Los Angeles Fire Department Said on social media platform X Residents should check their homes and neighbors.
“After inspecting your home for #earthquake damage and making sure there are no injuries, check on your pets and at-risk neighbors, especially elderly people living alone,” the newspaper said.
LAFD spokesman Eric Scott told NBC Los Angeles there has been “no significant damage” so far.
Ventura County Fire Department X account The department said it was “fully operational and there have been no reports of injuries.”
The U.S. tsunami warning system said there was no threat from waves from the earthquake.
Despite its mild nature, the earthquake could have been felt by up to 12 million people, Caltech geophysicist Allen Hasker told NBC Los Angeles, citing USGS data. Told.
ShakeAlerts were sent to the mobile phones of users of the MyShake app and other subscribers to the USGS-operated system. Alerts warn residents and give them time to evacuate before an earthquake reaches many users. This system is still evolving and relies on the addition of seismometers. It is available to an estimated 50 million residents in California, Oregon, and Washington.
The area where the quake occurred is home to a number of faults, including the Malibu Coastal Fault, which runs east from the area near Point Dume toward the city of Santa Monica.
Lucy Jones, a former USGS seismologist who founded the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society, said that as time passes, the possibility that this quake was a foreshock of something much larger quickly diminishes.
But she told NBC Los Angeles it's a good time to remind Californians to prepare for something bigger. Her best recommendation is to have potables and potable water on hand, as water supplies can be disrupted by major earthquakes.
“The most important thing you can do is make sure you have water stored,” she said.
The region has been hit by three storms since last week, bringing historic amounts of rain and flooding to areas from Ventura County to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Friday's quake occurred on the same day as one of the region's deadliest earthquakes, the 1971 magnitude 6.6 Sylmar earthquake (named after Los Angeles' northernmost neighborhood). According to the USGS, 64 people were killed and more than $500 million in damage was caused.
