On Monday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck about 2.5 miles south of the Los Angeles neighborhood of Highland Park, a neighbourhood not far from the famous Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory, shaking homes and startling residents.
It was reported at about 12:20 p.m. and felt throughout L.A. County in areas including Pasadena and Studio City. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially reported the earthquake as a 4.6-magnitude temblor, later updating it to a 4.4-magnitude temblor.
Recalling another quake in the area in June, which had an epicenter in South Pasadena, seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said Monday’s earthquake was in “essentially the same location” as the one in June.
The quake was felt in nearby cities Pasadena and Glendale, and all the way to the coastline in areas like Manhattan Beach and El Segundo. The USGS said there was no tsunami warning from the quake. Officials said they are monitoring for damage or injuries, but as of around 1:10 p.m., none had been reported.
Firefighters reported water gushing out of a broken pipe while looking through a building at Pasadena City Hall. While it is still not confirmed whether it was caused by the quake, seismologists at the California Institute of Technology, Caltech, said they felt shaking at the Pasadena campus.
This quake comes in the aftermath of a 5.2-magnitude earthquake near Bakersfield last week. Last week’s quake rattled the Southern California region, with shaking felt throughout parts of Kern, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties.
In the following two days, there were more than 400 tremors within 10 miles of the quake’s epicenter, which USC seismologist John Vidale said could all be considered aftershocks since that area doesn’t usually have much seismic activity.
For Monday’s earthquake, however, the USGS did not report aftershocks within an hour.
