Minor Earthquake Rattles Los Angeles Area

On Tuesday night, a relatively minor magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck near Yorba Linda, rattling the Los Angeles area. The moderate earthquake was followed by a magnitude 2.7 aftershock about a minute later, according to a report from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Yorba Linda is located in Orange County and sits just under 40 miles away from the Los Angeles area. The initial earthquake, which occurred at a depth of five miles, was reportedly felt far throughout the region. The USGS’ “Did You Feel It?” feature suggests that the earthquake was felt as far away as Thousand Oaks.

Fortunately, the Associated Press says that police and fire officials have received no reports of any damage or injuries as a result of the earthquake. LA weekly reported that the LAFD was briefly in “Emergency Earthquake Mode” but only as a precaution.

The aftershocks have since died down, with only a handful of aftershocks ranging from magnitude 1.2 to 1.4 following the magnitude 2.7 aftershock.

The day before, on August 6, an earthquake of similar strength — magnitude 4.5 — struck about 15 miles south-southwest of Coalinga in central California. No damage was reported from the earthquake.

Did you feel the August 7 earthquake? If so, how far from the epicenter were you?

[Image credit: USGS]