UCLA researcher Leon Knopoff who "pioneered the use of mathematical modeling for earthquakes, helped develop a way to date ancient pottery and examined how music affects human perception," died on Jan 20 of of respiratory failure at his home in Sherman Oaks, reports the Daily News. He was 85. more ›

Over the last 12 hours another series of small earthquakes -- thought to be aftershocks from the 7.2 magnitude Mexicali Easter shaker -- have bobbled the California border. The largest quake, registering a 4.2 magnitude, occurred around 11 p.m. Friday evening near Ocotillo, the town of the 21 vehicle motorcycle tragedy of last month. more ›

Los Angeles has been all a-twitter about the apparent increase in the number of major earthquakes locally as well as globally this year. But is it true? Has 2010 actually seen an increase in earthquake frequency, compared with previous years? more ›

We tried ignoring all the hoopla on Twitter yesterday, but apparently we can't. The internet has been atwitter about a major earthquake striking in the next few days. Sure, that's a possibility, just like it's a possibility every day of the year. The fact is, earthquakes cannot be predicted--at least with this much advance notice--despite what Twitter says. What's true is that there has been more earthquake this year and scientists have yet to officially explain it. One theory is that "major earthquakes tend to occur in cycles, and experts have said the region in recent years has been in a quiet cycle when it comes to sizable temblors," according to the LA Times. more ›

Between Saturday and Monday morning, 42 small earthquakes shook, ranging in in magnitude from 0.5 to 3.3, near the Salton Sea, east of Los Angeles, according to the LA Times. "The worry for scientists comes from a case in 1987, when a magnitude-6.2 earthquake on one of the crossing faults appeared to trigger a 6.6 quake 12 hours later on the Superstition Hills fault to the south. The San Andreas fault is north of these crossing faults and the geometry is similar, [research geophysicist Graham] Kent said. This swarm, he said, 'is a flashing yellow light that tells you to be prepared and to spend some time trying to understand the significance.'" Of course, we never will really know until it happens. The only thing we are in control of is how prepared you are. Do you have at least 10 gallons stored per person in your household (and don't forgot some for your pets!). more ›

This one is for those transplants from the Midwest, especially the ones who moved out here and have never experienced an earthquake. Well, the place you left, whether that be Chicago, or even in Ohio, got a shaker early this morning, leaving your friends and family from home an earthquake experience before you here in "earthquake county." more ›

Did ABC's Eli Stone and the U.S. Geological Survey collaborate to put us all on an earthquake watch today? Last night's episode of the San Francisco based "visionary" drama, where Stone's brain aneurism causes him to see the future, was about a giant earthquake hitting the bay city causing the Golden Gate bridge to collapse in the middle. more ›

There are two things you can count on living in LA: fires and earthquakes. Now, it seems, we might need to add some tsunami insurance to our list of must-have SoCal coverage policies. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Seismic Safety Commission have launched a study to determine the potential tsunami risk to the LA and Long Beach ports. more ›

It seems every where you look in local food blogging or restaurant reviewing, the buzz word of the moment is Terroni, a Canadian import that just opened up an outpost in West Hollywood serving up affordable Southern Italian fare. Natalie Houghton of the Daily News (via LA.com) sums it up on both sides of the scale: "At its best: Prices are reasonable, sharing is not a problem here, and sampling a variety of Italian... more ›

As winds died down Sunday, firefighters gained the upper hand on the Malibu blaze that burned at least 49 homes and sent thousands fleeing. It is now 70% contained and officials expect full containment by Tuesday. The damage could run close to $100 million. Firefighters rescued a father and his 4-year-old son in a Sun Valley home that burned down this morning. The father got his wife and daughter out of the house, but,... more ›

On June 19, 2000 I was staying at the Radisson Hotel across the street from USC, visiting campus for my freshman orientation. About two miles north on Figueroa Street that night, Kobe Bryant was winning his first championship with the Lakers. I didn't get much sleep. The impromptu parade of cars (Benzos, Civics, low riders, it didn't matter) made my hotel their turnaround point before they looped back to the Staples Center. I've lived in... more ›

Sister -ist site, SFist, is reporting a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in the Bay Area, south of San Francisco. The USGS says...A moderate earthquake occurred at 8:04:54 PM (PDT) on Tuesday, October 30, 2007. The magnitude 5.6 event occurred 8 km (5 miles) NNE of Alum Rock, CA. The hypocentral depth is 9 km ( 6 miles). To us, that's a pretty decent earthquake. And at 5.5 or greater (here's the teaching us part), this is... more ›

There are 14,000 firefighters our there right now helping protecting us. 3,000 of them are prison inmates who began working the front lines yesterday.A spokesman for the corrections department says it's close to the most the state has ever used. The inmates go through a four-week training program. They must be physically fit, have no history of violent crime and have between four months to three years remaining on their sentences. They're paid $1... more ›

Yes, that was a 4.2 earthquake you felt or dreamt about at 1:53 a.m. A light earthquake occurred at 1:53:43 AM (PDT) on Tuesday, October 16, 2007. The magnitude 4.2 event occurred 5 km (3 miles) N of Wrightwood, CA. The hypocentral depth is 3 km ( 2 miles). The AP reports that "it was not immediately known if the quake had caused any damage or injuries." We don't mean to nag, but here... more ›

Volume at the Los Angeles port, the biggest in the U.S., is expected to drop for the first time in four years. Experts attributed the decline to the slumping housing market and continued loss of confidence in imported goods. I don't pretend to be an expert, but we'll cheer up when they stop putting plastic in their toys. A woman was arrested and charged with murder, stemming from an incident in which she allegedly... more ›

Every time I go to a city of Los Angeles fair of some type, I walk away with a lot of free quality swag. I've made off with countless CFL lightbulbs, useful maps, emergency supply kits and even Port Police lip balm (yeah, sexy). more ›

A recent study put out in the September issue of Geology has concluded that the Los Angeles basin is in a 1,000 year seismic “lull”. Meaning the era we are living in has smaller and less frequent earthquakes than the Los Angeles area normally has. (Normal referring to the average for the last 12,000 years) more ›

Only one major event for the Los Angeles Fire Department today in which 30 firefighters quickly fought a three-story commercial building at 515 S. Los Angeles St. Lindsay Lohan lawyers claim she's innocent in the crash involving Raymundo Ortega and his black Mercedes, citing that Ortega made an illegal U-Turn to snag a parking space putting him in Lohan's tracks. The case will go to trial in April. Five oriental fruit flies have been... more ›

Every time I meet someone who just moved here, I am able to spew out facts that surprise them. For one, except for this past year, it rains here in the winter. Sometimes weeks at a time. Two, we have a subway and if they happened to find their first apartment near it, well lucky them for avoiding some gridlock. Finally, the 1994 Northridge earthquake was nothing compared to what's coming, so welcome to Los Angeles! And let's not forget that in this past week the Southland has seen two tornadoes in addition to the deathly heatwave and 3 earthquakes. more ›

We felt it slightly in the Valley and according to the USGS, a 4.7 Earthquake east of Santa Ana hit at 10:29 a.m.Lake Elsinore, CA - 13 km (8 miles) WNW (298 degrees) Lakeland Village, CA - 15 km (9 miles) NW (314 degrees) Portola Hills, CA - 16 km (10 miles) ENE (70 degrees) Corona, CA - 18 km (11 miles) SSE (148 degrees) Los Angeles Civic Center, CA - 80 km (50 miles)... more ›

Yes, you are not crazy. A very quick 3.5 earthquake struck to the north of the Valley at 12:23 p.m. A quake last night in Peru, registering at 8.0, killed 450 and had aftershocks of 6.3. Today in the Solomon Islands was a 6.7 and a 5.3 in Japan (add to that a 5.3 in Hawaii a few days ago). It may have been a dry summer, but Earthquake season might be upon us this... more ›

Brace for a Quake: A Survival Guide on KCET has aired a few times already this month during their pledge drive, but you have one more chance to catch this great show that covers insurance, myths, how to fix up your home, workplace/office safety, what to do when you're in a car, and more. Schedule your TIVO for Sunday, August 19th at 12:30 PM on KCET. You can also contribute money to our local public... more ›

If there is anyone who is prepared for an earthquake of a much higher magnitude than last night’s 4.5, Captain Stacy Gerlich of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is that person. Gerlich, whose official title is Captain I/Paramedic CERT Program Coordinator Special Operations Section, Disaster Preparedness CERT Unit, is in charge of the complimentary program that trains Los Angeles citizens to prepare themselves, their families and their neighborhoods for disasters. This program is the... more ›

Ohhh, that was a nice 20 to 30 second rumbler too. Tonight's 4.5 earthquake, minutes before 1:00 a.m., comes on the heels of last night's 7.5 quake in Indonesia, Southern Japan's 6.4 earthquake and a Earthquake Conference, sponsored by SCAG, that took place yesterday morning in Ontario. The epicenter is in the Santa Susana Mountains north of the intersection of the 118 freeway and Topanga Canyon Blvd. near the split of the San Fernando and... more ›

It's a full moon and the earth is shaking. Three small quakes within a hundred miles of Los Angeles in the past hour alone, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site. Perhaps unscientific -- though seemingly never "gamed" or exagerrated -- is the USGS "shake map" at right. Within 30 minutes of tonight's 3.2 magnitude shaker centered near Granada Hills, over 700 people went to the site to report shaking intensity. Hover over the... more ›

Just a few minutes ago, we had a little earthquake here in The Valley. There were about three of them yesterday as well. While these microquakes could be a good sign of tension release, which could help avoid a major one, we still think you need to think about preparing yourself with a bare minimum of water. In The News: Earthquake warnings on the way (LA Daily News) Recent Quake in Chile Prepare & Educate... more ›

Today is the Times LA Times publisher, David Hiller, will engage in a discussion with journalism professor Bryce Nelson about the changes at the newspaper. It's a lunchtime affair at USC, but if you can make it, they say lunch will be served. More... Tomorrow is Yesterday's Earthquakes Harbinger We love this slogan: Shift Happens – Secure Your Space. So the question is if you dare to prepare. "There are actions we all can... more ›

- Last night's strong wings caused a minivan to crash into a bus, killing two near Barstow - NYT more ›

Bree McGuire, one of Buzznet's Content Editors, is surrounded by new music all day long. Buzznet was at dozens of music fests and events last year and is super tight with the emo superstars Fall Out Boy, which is why we were stoked that she agreed to tune us in to what she was tuned in to last year... more ›

In an alarmist post on Digg.com, someone is feeling like the big one is coming. "Third Earthquake Hits San Fran/Bay Area in Three Days! Exact same spot, and the Bay Area is due for the Big One any day now!" As commenter PunkRampant points out, there should be no worries. "We get weak earthquakes all the time, ~3 magnitude quakes aren't uncommon. This is a good thing, because if the weak quakes suddenly stopped... more ›