More than 50 small earthquakes hit Ventura County
More than 50 small earthquakes have been recorded since Wednesday near the town of Fillmore in Ventura County, according to a U.S. Geological Survey seismologist.
The biggest of the quakes registered magnitude 2.7, and the vast majority were less than magnitude 2.0, so it's unclear whether people felt them.
According to a USGS map, the intensity of the 2.7 quake was limited to a fairly small area in rural Ventura County. That quake hit three miles east of Fillmore and six miles west of Santa Paula.
On whether these small quakes signal a bigger quake, seismologist Lucy Jones said on Twitter all earthquakes "make another more likely, so probably have more." But she said there is no way to know if one will be bigger.
Swarms of small earthquakes are not uncommon in California.
In 2014, Mammoth Lakes experienced more than 700 small quakes. Countless small faults crisscross the area known as the Long Valley Caldera. This roughly 20-mile-wide crater-like depression, adjacent to Mammoth Mountain, was formed from ash and pumice deposits during a volcanic "super eruption" about 760,000 years ago.
In 2012, a swarm of quakes hit Imperial County, including two greater than magnitude 5.
_____________________________________________________________________
More Than 90 Small Earthquakes Strike SoCal City in 24 Hours
The swarm of small quakes hitting the Fillmore area first started on Wednesday at 4 p.m. with a magnitude-2.0 quake striking at 4 p.m.
By Irene Moore
More than 90 earthquakes have struck a Southern California community over the past 24 hours, causing concern for residents and a few eyebrows to raise.
The swarm of small quakes hitting the Fillmore area first started on Wednesday at 4 p.m. with a magnitude-2.0 quake striking at 4 p.m., 4 miles west of Fillmore. Since then, dozens of other quakes have hit the area in the Santa Clara River Valley.
Seismologist Lucy Jones responded to the sequence of quakes by tweeting," EQ swarms like today's have occurred in the past in Ventura basin. They start gradually and usually last for several days and then terminate."
Only two of the quakes measured above a 2.5-magnitude, according to USGS. A 2.8-magnitude rattler struck at 6:33 a.m. Thursday, 3 miles west of Fillmore and a magnitude-2.6 quake hit at 11:04 a.m. Thursday, 4 miles west of Fillmore.
An earthquake expert from Caltech said the swarm of quakes appeared to be "dissipating." But, if the quakes kicked up again, they would reconsider.
Fillmore is an agricultural area with a population just above 15,000. It's nestled between several mountains with a river running through it. Several faults also surround the city; including, the San Cayetano Fault, Timber Canyon Fault and infamous Oak Ridge Fault that once nearly-leveled the area during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.
Twitter users reached out to Jones wanting to know if "something bigger" was to come."
Jones' response," Over 50 small EQs near Fillmore. All EQs make another more likely, so probably have more. No way to know if one'll bigger."
Lynda Dagostino, who works at a nail salon in Fillmore, was a little shaken by the news.
"Didn't know if it was me or the floor moving," she said. "I hope this is as big as it gets!"
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Over-70-Earthquakes-Strike-SoCal-City-in-24-Hours-313018341.html
__._,_.___
No comments:
Post a Comment