Residents of Los Angeles and surrounding areas were shaken awake this morning at about 4AM local time. With the area in and around L..A. generally equipped for such a small earthquake, there have been no reports of damage or injuries at this time. USGS geophysicist Jessica Sigala told reporters that she would not expect to see much damage from this type of quake. Rather than damage, just quite a bit of shaking, likely enough to knock books from shelves and possibly break windows.
Some are concerned that this relatively small quake is a "foreshock" of a larger quake that many Californians have been fearing for decades. In light of the recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and elsewhere, many feel that the time is approaching when California is going to be hit with a major earthquake.
The largest earthquake to hit California in recent years was a 6.7 magnitude quake in 1994. That quake killed 72 people and caused more than $20 billion in damages. With the frequency that California experiences earthquakes, some have a false sense of security that the area will be able to withstand a major quake. The problem is that when quakes like the one that hit Chile occur, the devastation is so complete, that densely populated areas often suffer massive loss of life.
The Chilean coast is relatively sparsely populated, whereas the California coast is fairly densely inhabited.
Disaster Preparedness EERI's Mitigation Center has 100s of links, pdfs, and videos.
Some are concerned that this relatively small quake is a "foreshock" of a larger quake that many Californians have been fearing for decades. In light of the recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and elsewhere, many feel that the time is approaching when California is going to be hit with a major earthquake.
The largest earthquake to hit California in recent years was a 6.7 magnitude quake in 1994. That quake killed 72 people and caused more than $20 billion in damages. With the frequency that California experiences earthquakes, some have a false sense of security that the area will be able to withstand a major quake. The problem is that when quakes like the one that hit Chile occur, the devastation is so complete, that densely populated areas often suffer massive loss of life.
The Chilean coast is relatively sparsely populated, whereas the California coast is fairly densely inhabited.
Disaster Preparedness EERI's Mitigation Center has 100s of links, pdfs, and videos.
