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A 4.2 Quake Struck Off The Coast Of Malibu And Santa Monica Overnight
The star indicates the epicenter of an early morning 4.2 quake off the coast of Malibu, with the colored squares representing the locations of people who felt it
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Courtesy USGS
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A 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck overnight near Malibu — followed by a series of aftershocks.
The 2 a.m. shaking jolted people awake, followed by six aftershocks, the largest being a 3.5 quake just minutes after the first. The most recent was a 1.6 registering about 6 a.m.
L.A. City Fire says it conducted a 470 square-mile survey, and no damage or injuries have been reported.
The quake was nine miles deep and centered offshore, nearly 10 miles south of Malibu and 15 miles southwest of Santa Monica.
Good morning Southern California! Did you feel the magnitude 4.2 earthquake about 10 miles south of Malibu Beach at 2:03 am? The #ShakeAlert system was activated. See: https://t.co/14WBptlPYi @Cal_OES @CAGeoSurvey @CaltechSeismo pic.twitter.com/PQHTrsy1Yk
— USGS ShakeAlert (@USGS_ShakeAlert) January 25, 2023
Well, a M4.2 in Malibu doesn’t shake Pasadena enough to wake anyone up. This is a similar location to the M5.2 that happened during the Rose Bowl game. That was felt in Pasadena with a “hmm, what was that? Do you think that was an earthquake?” Type of reaction
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) January 25, 2023
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If you did feel something, the USGS encourages you to report it via their Shake map, which provides data to scientists studying earthquakes. As of sunrise Wednesday, nearly 9,000 people had made a report, most living relatively close to the epicenter.
A 2.3 quake centered in Sherman Oaks earlier this week got fewer than 300 reports.
Earthquake prep 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
- Your Guide To Surviving The Big One
- For Earthquakes, Forget The 'Go-Bag.' Here's How To Prepare
- How To Not Get Life-Threatening Diarrhea After A Major Earthquake
- 10 Earthquake-Related Questions To Ask Your Landlord Immediately
- How To Prepare For An Earthquake If You Have A Disability
- Listen to our Podcast The Big One: Your Survival Guide
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