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Two earthquakes struck near Malibu
USGS map shows areas with the greatest risk of earthquake hazard. The Malibu earthquakes are marked in blue.
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USGS.gov
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Two small earthquakes struck near Malibu within a 7 hour period, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The first quake, a preliminary 3.5 magnitude, hit Friday night at 11:44 p.m. Hours later, that quake was followed by a preliminary 3.7 magnitude at 6:30 a.m.
A Sheriff's spokesperson at the Malibu / Lost Hills Sheriff's station told LAist this morning that no damage or injuries from the quakes have been reported, and extra earthquake precautions are unnecessary at this time.
The quakes were felt in parts of L.A. and Ventura counties, and as far as Long Beach, and come after days of flood warnings along the coast.
These kind of earthquakes aren't unusual in Malibu, says Lucy Jones, a seismologist and founder of the Lucy Jones Center for Science & Society. "Malibu has been experiencing magnitude 3s and even a few 4s for years."
But earthquakes tend to come in clusters, Jones says. This "doublet" of quakes occurred about 10 miles below the earth's surface, "likely along the Santa Monica Bay fault." There's little to no risk of earthquake-induced landslides, she says.
" Big earthquakes can cause landslides, but it needs to be at least about the magnitude of the Northridge earthquake," she says. "About 50,000 times bigger than these."
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Earthquake resources
These earthquakes probably aren't going to trigger The Big One... but it’s coming, eventually. When it happens it'll be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge and 11 times stronger than the Ridgecrest quakes in 2019. Stay earthquake smart with our handy guides:
- 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
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