Swarm of 20 earthquakes measuring up to magnitude 3.3 rattles California
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A collection of 20 minor earthquakes have struck Southern California. The quakes, which began at 12.33pm ET, less than 50 miles from millions of residents in Los Angeles, continued to shake an area near the small city of Fillmore on Thursday. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquakes registered between 1.1 and 3.3 in magnitude. (Picture: Getty)
Of the 20, six registered between 2.5 and 3.3 in magnitude, but all of them struck in a 10-minute stretch from 1.21pm. The most intense shaking was felt closest to the quakes’ epicenters near Fillmore, but USGS has noted that a handful of residents in West Hollywood experienced minor shaking. However, there have not been any reports of injuries or damage to property at this time. (Picture: US Geological Survey)
Usually, earthquakes of this strength can be felt for several miles in all directions but typically cause only minor damage, such as knocking objects off shelves. This is the latest swarm to strike California following at least four other notable swarm events in the last two weeks. On Monday, seven earthquakes stronger than magnitude 2.5 struck California’s Bay Area, just miles from San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. (Picture: US Geological Survey)
Before that, the Bay Area withstood three straight days of earthquake swarms, with over a dozen minor quakes striking the region during the week of Thanksgiving. Experts are keeping an eye out on seismic activity throughout the state over fears of ‘The Big One’, which is a massive earthquake over magnitude 7.0 that could cause mass devastation. (Picture: USGS)
It is predicted that this mega quake could take place along the San Andreas Fault, a massive 800-mile plate boundary responsible for much of the state’s seismic activity. However, Thursday’s 20 quakes were centered along a portion of the Southern California Coast which is roughly 50 miles away from the San Andreas. (Picture: Getty)
This swarm was closest to the Red Mountain–Mission Ridge Fault system, an active network of faults in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. This system of faults is smaller that the San Andreas, but researchers are aware that it could still unleash a major earthquake stronger than 6.5 in magnitude. For example, the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake is said to have reached magnitude 6.8 and has been largely attributed to a rupture along the Mission Ridge segment of this fault system. (Picture: Getty)
The ‘Big One’, hypothetically, could cause roughly 1,800 deaths, 50,000 injuries, and $200 billion in damages, according to the Great California ShakeOut, with the last one occurring in 1906 in San Francisco, about 380 miles north of Los Angeles. The closest the San Andreas gets to downtown LA is about 35 miles. (Picture: Getty)
