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5.1 earthquake rattles L.A. area

March 29, 2014

Rattles Los Angeles area

A car sits overturned on a highway in the Carbon Canyon area of Brea, Calif., Friday night, March 28, 2014, after hitting a rock slide caused by an earthquake. The people inside the car sustained minor injuries. A magnitude-5.1 earthquake centered in the area near Los Angeles caused no major damage but jittered nerves throughout the region as dozens of aftershocks struck into the night. (AP Photo/Kevin Warn)

LA HABRA (CNS) – A magnitude-5.1 earthquake struck at 9:09 p.m. Friday night, centered one mile east of La Habra, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, causing some water main breaks in Fullerton, but little significant damage.

The earthquake was felt in at least seven Southern California counties –Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura.

The quake was at a depth of about five miles and followed by about 40 aftershocks, two greater than magnitude 3.0, U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Robert Graves said. There were no reports of surface rupture, Graves said.

The earthquake was probably 10 times larger than the March 17 magnitude- 4.4 quake near Encino in terms of energy released, says Lucy Jones, a visiting research associate at Caltech’s Seismological Laboratory.

The fault that caused the earthquake was close to, but separate from the Puente Hills thrust (fault) that was responsible for the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, Jones said.

“There is no definitive information on the fault,” Jones said. ”There are several active faults in that region that have been mapped.”

Jones said her preliminary research said the last recorded activity of this particular fault was recorded on July 8, 1929.

Minor damage is expected from earthquakes the size of Friday night’s magnitude-5.1, which struck about five miles to the northwest of the magnitude-5.4 Chino Hills earthquake of 2008, Graves said.

A magnitude-3.6 foreshock struck at 8:03 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department received reports of gas leaks in the Rowland Heights area and scattered minor damage, said department supervisor Ed Pickett.

There were six water main breaks in Fullerton and three in La Habra, NBC4 reported.

The Los Angeles police and fire departments conducted an assessment and reported no damage in the city, Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Disneyland shut down rides as a precaution, NBC4 reported.

A lieutenant at the Orange County sheriff’s office in Silverado Canyon said the shaking lasted nearly 30 seconds.
The earthquake set off car alarms in Anaheim Hills, a resident said.

A lieutenant at the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said residents reported feeling the earthquake in the North County and as far south as Mission Valley.

No damage to the Metro Rail system was found following a check of all lines, the agency’s Paul Gonzales told City News Service.

Garcetti said the earthquake “reminds us to be prepared.”

“L.A. residents can visit readyla.org for guidance on how to best prepare for the next earthquake, including potential aftershocks,” Garcetti said.

Jones described the past 20 years since the January 1994 Northridge earthquake as some of the quietest for earthquakes in recent California history.

“We might be getting back to the more normal rate before the Northridge earthquake happened,” Graves said. ”It means it was quiet, but it’s not quiet now.”

Graves said the experimental earthquake early warning system being developed by Caltech gave four seconds notice of the impending temblor.

“The system worked as it was supposed to work.” Graves said.