A warm up to the Big One? Fears another earthquake will hit California as 5.1 tremor followed by FORTY aftershocks damages homes in second set of quakes to rock area in a fortnight
- Los Angeles residents warned that Friday's 5.1 magnitude earthquake could be followed by a much larger event
- Friday's earthquake was the second sizeable tremor in two weeks - following a 4.4 quake on March 17
- Last night's quake rattled a wide swath of Southern California, breaking water mains in a nearby community and prompting Disneyland to shut down rides
- There were no reports of injury or substantial structural damage from the quake
- 'Tonight's earthquake is the second in two weeks, and reminds us to be prepared,' Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said
- A Los Angeles police spokeswoman said the department had not received any reports of damage or injury
- The quake was felt as far away as Palm Springs in the east and Ventura County to the north
After the second strong earthquake in as many weeks, seismologists have warned that Friday's 5.1 tremor that rumbled through Los Angeles could herald a much larger quake.
The series of earthquakes began at 8.03pm, peaking at 9.09pm with a tremor centered near Brea in Orange County causing Disneyland to close, gas leaks, water main breaks and a rockslide near the epicenter, according to authorities as up to 40 aftershocks were felt.
US Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones said that, 'There could be an even larger earthquake in the next few hours or the next few days,' as more than two dozen aftershocks ranging from magnitudes 2 to 3.6 were recorded, according to the USGS.
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Rocked: Customers flee Disneyland as the park is shut down following a 5.1 earthquake in L.A.
'Tonight's earthquake is the second in two weeks, and reminds us to be prepared,' Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a written statement released about an hour after the shaking stopped.
Geologists at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena said the quake was shallow, at a depth of only 1.2 miles.
'We have to analyze that to make sure of the exact depth but it is relatively shallow,' said Robert Graves of CalTech. 'Earthquakes in California tend to be deeper than that so it's a little bit anomalous.'
Graves said that there was a five percent chance that the quake was a precursor to a stronger quake.
On March 17, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Los Angeles basin and was centered 15 miles west-northwest of the downtown civic center, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The reported damage was slight according to authorities.
At the time, Lucy Jones said, 'It's not that large by California terms. It's the size of earthquake we have across the state once every couple of months. But we haven't had one like this in LA for quite a while.'
Structural damage: Water covers a street as a city worker walks by near a water main break that occurred during a magnitude 5.1 earthquake in Fullerton, California on March 28, 2014
Clean-up: A man picks up fallen goods at a CVS store after an earthquake on Friday, March 28, 2014, in La Mirada, California
Experts said that the earthquakes occurred on the Puente Hills thrust fault, which stretches from the San Gabriel Valley to downtown Los Angeles.
Last night's quake was shallow, which 'means the shaking is very concentrated in a small area,' said Caltech seismologist Egill Hauksson.
Hauksson revealed that the earthquake was unusual because the 5.1 quake was preceded by the weaker foreshock.
Scientists such as Hauksson are very concerned about the Puente Hills fault because it runs directly under downtown Los Angeles.
'This is the fault that could eat L.A.,' seismologist Sue Hough told The LA Times in 2003.
Residents across Los Angeles reported swinging chandeliers, fireplaces dislodging from walls and burglar alarms being set off by the quake.
Enforcement: A police officer controls the traffic as workers shut off the water valve on Friday, March 28, 2014, in Fullerton, California
Off road: In Brea, the earthquake triggered a landslide that left this car upside down, with only minor injuries reported
Eyewitness photos and videos show bottles and packages strewn on store floors. Southern California Edison reported power outages to about 2,000 customers following the quake.
More than two dozen aftershocks ranging from magnitudes 2 to 3.6 were recorded, according to the USGS. Earlier in the evening, two foreshocks registering at magnitude-3.6 and magnitude-2.1 hit nearby in the city of La Habra.
Public safety officials said crews were inspecting bridges, dams, rail tracks and other infrastructure systems for signs of damage. The Brea police department said the rock slide in the Carbon Canyon area caused a car to overturn, and the people inside the car sustained minor injuries.
Callers to KNX-AM reported seeing a brick wall collapse, water sloshing in a swimming pool and wires and trees swaying back and forth. One caller said he was in a movie theater lobby in Brea when the quake struck.
'A lot of the glass in the place shook like crazy,' he said. 'It started like a roll and then it started shaking like crazy. Everybody ran outside, hugging each other in the streets.'
Fullerton resident Daniel Taylor told the station everything fell down in his home.
'My 100-gallon fish tank went down. Water damage everywhere from the tank. My water pipes under my sink cracked,' he said.
One viewer in Walnut said the power went out for 10 minutes.
'The whole room was shaking. My bed was rolling for longer than most I've felt,' said another
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Comedy: Dane Cook took to Twitter to joke about how unaffected he was by the quake
Good humor: Celebs all over L.A. took to Twitter to express shock and joke about the event
Across the board: From Oscar winners to reality stars to actresses everyone weighed in
Wreckage: Edison reported approximately 2,000 customers were out of power in the aftermath
Lucky: Despite the damage only minor injuries have been reported
Scope of the problem: The US Geological Survey released this map showing the location and intensity of the 5.1 Richter scale earthquake
A helicopter news reporter from KNBC-TV reported from above that rides at Disneyland in Anaheim — several miles from the epicenter — were stopped as a precaution.
Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully was on the air calling the Angels-Dodgers exhibition game in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium.
'A little tremor here in the ballpark. I'm not sure if the folks felt it, but we certainly felt it here in press box row,' Scully said. 'A tremor and only that, thank goodness.'
Tom Connolly, a Boeing employee who lives in La Mirada, the next town over from La Habra, said the magnitude-5.1 quake lasted about 30 seconds.
'We felt a really good jolt. It was a long rumble and it just didn't feel like it would end,' he told The Associated Press by phone. 'Right in the beginning it shook really hard, so it was a little unnerving. People got quiet and started bracing themselves by holding on to each other. It was a little scary.'
Smashed: Though damage was minimal, people reported dishes, bottles, and other perishable items breaking during the quake across L.A.
Be safe: Authorities advised residents to secure bookshelves and any precious items
Flipped: Authorities said information about this earthquake could help them better understand the region's faults
The party's over: Orange County residents said they felt gradual shaking for roughly 10 seconds followed by 20 aftershocks
Friday's quake hit a week after a pre-dawn magnitude-4.4 quake centered in the San Fernando Valley rattled a swath of Southern California. That jolt shook buildings and rattled nerves, but did not cause significant damage.
Southern California has not experienced a devastating earthquake since the 1994 magnitude-6.7 Northridge quake killed several dozen people and caused $25 billion in damage.
Preliminary data suggest Friday night's 5.1 magnitude earthquake occurred near the Puente Hills thrust fault, which stretches from the San Gabriel Valley to downtown Los Angeles and caused the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said.
'It's a place where we've had a lot of earthquakes in the past,' she said.
The 5.9 Whittier Narrows quake killed eight people and caused $360 million in damage.
Just the start: Authorities said there was a 5 per cent chance a larger earthquake would follow in the next three days
Clean-up: Stores across the region saw product thrown to the floor as terrified customers were shaken
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California's four seasons: earthquake, fire, flood, drought. I admit I was worried when we had the 7.1 in 1989, I was underground on the subway when it hit.
See what happens in SoCal when I fall asleep early! Wake up to news we had an earthquake! Hope everyone is ok!
warm up to the big one? nice fear mongering DM. lets not let science get in the way of your headlines eh ?
A 5.1 is considered to be a strong earthquake. One also has to take into consideration the depth of the quake. The more shallow the quake, the larger it feels. On the scale regarding seismic activity, the following is what would occur: "Felt by everyone, outside or inside; many frightened and run outdoors, walk unsteadily. Windows, dishes, glassware broken; books fall off shelves; some heavy furniture moved or overturned; a few instances of fallen plaster. Damage slight to moderate to poorly designed buildings, all others receive none to slight damage." I did read that there was a water main break in Fullerton, and that some houses were red tagged last night.
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Cuaille71, Phoenix, United States, moments ago
Looks like supermarket employees will be busy today. I recall visiting a supermarket in Santa Clarita in the mid 90's and was amazed how immaculate the aisles looked. The shelves fully stocked with items faced perfectly. Turns out the reason for this was that there had been a 4.5 quake earlier that morning and staff worked for hours cleaning things up and restocking. The following night, another 4.5 quake hit and in the morning an LA news crew was broadcasting live from that supermarket showing the aisles completely trashed similar to some of these photos.