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  • Climate and Environment
    Quake hits Lake Elsinore
    No reports of damage from the magnitude 3.9 quake
    By  Jacob Margolis
    Published August 15, 2024 10:11 AM

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    A map showing that that the shaking was centered near Lake Elsinore.
    Light shaking was felt near the epicenter.
    (
    Courtesy U.S. Geological Survey
    )

    Topline:

    A 3.9 magnitude quake struck just northwest of Lake Elsinore at 9:39 a.m. on Thursday. Light shaking was felt near the epicenter.

    Damage: No damage was immediately reported and is unlikely given the size of the quake.

    Was it a foreshock?: There's a 5% chance that there will be a larger quake in the coming days, though that's unlikely.

    Shaky week: This is the second mildly noticeable quake that's struck Southern California this week. The first was a 4.4 magnitude quake centered near Highland Park, which shook the area on Monday.

    A 3.9 magnitude earthquake struck just northwest of Lake Elsinore at 9:39 a.m. Thursday.

    No damage was immediately reported and given the size of the quake isn't expected.

    An alert was not sent by the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system to cell phones in the area as the shaking was not strong enough.

    This is the second mild quake to rattle Southern California in the past few days. The other, a 4.4 magnitude temblor, hit on Monday and was centered beneath a highly populated area of Los Angeles near Highland Park. It generated a bit of worry given that it appears to have come from an area that's capable of producing a quake that could be more destructive and deadly than what we would see from the San Andreas.

    Two aftershocks followed within a half hour of the initial event. One was a magnitude 3.0 and the other a magnitude 1.9.

    There's a 5% chance that a larger quake could hit in the coming days, which is the standard forecast after any quake. However, that likelihood will decrease as time goes on.

    We have earthquake resources

    We don't want to scare you, but the Big One is coming. We don't know when, but we know it'll be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge and 11 times stronger than the Ridgecrest quakes in 2019. To help you get prepared, we've compiled a handy reading list:

    Listen to our podcast and get ready

    Listen • 31:11
    The Big One: Your Survival Guide: You’re at Union Station when the big one hits. The next two minutes are terrifying.

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