2°c Sunny
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
Magnitude 4.7 earthquake shakes wide area of Southern California; no damage reported
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - A modest earthquake left Southern California with the jitters Monday but no serious damage as the temblor caused swaying and rolling from the desert to the coast, sending children scrambling under their desks and office workers running for the door.
The 9:55 a.m. quake had an estimated magnitude of 4.7, said Nick Scheckel, seismic analyst at the California Institute of Technology's seismological laboratory in Pasadena.
The epicenter was about a dozen miles from the Riverside County desert community of Anza, about 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles, and it was felt strongly at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament happening in nearby Indian Wells.
The temblor, which occurred at a depth of eight miles, caused a swaying or rolling motion in Los Angeles and San Diego as well as in Orange and San Bernardino counties. It was sandwiched between several foreshocks and aftershocks.
"It kind of shook and then I thought, 'God, is that an earthquake?'" said Susie Bride, a cashier at Cahuilla Mountain Market and Cafe in Anza. "It kind of shook and then it rolled a little bit and then it shook again."
There was no damage at the store, and authorities said there were no reports of damage or injuries in the region. Quakes of that magnitude are unlikely to do much harm to modern buildings, said Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena.
At the BNP Paribas Open, tennis star Rafael Nadal felt the shaking while he was on the massage table preparing for his third-round match against Leonardo Mayer of Argentina and said he was "very scared."
It was the Spaniard's first earthquake experience and he said his legs were wobbling from it.
The temblor was a strike-slip earthquake on the San Jacinto Fault, the most active fault in Southern California, Jones said.
In the past two decades, there have been five quakes of magnitude 4.7 or greater on the fault, she said, and in the 20th century there were eight quakes of magnitude 6 and above.
The quake's preliminary magnitude estimate of 5.1 was changed after a review by seismologists, which is not uncommon. The computer also erroneously took readings from the main shock and increased the magnitudes of foreshocks and an aftershock, causing confusion.
Rachelle Siefken was at home in the Riverside County town of Aguanga with her 4-year-old daughter and 16-month-old son when the shaking started. It was the first earthquake for both children and her son in particular was scared, she said.
"I grabbed him up in my arms and I stood in the doorway with him," said Siefken, who teaches English online for the California Virtual Academy.
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Tami Abdollah, Sue Manning, Greg Risling, Justin Pritchard, Robert Jablon and John Antczak in Los Angeles; Gillian Flaccus in Orange County; and Beth Harris in Indian Wells.
Fact Check
Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.
More World
- Back to Top
- Return to World
More World
(1 of 15 articles for today)
Paul McCartney writes letters to Russian official in support of imprisoned Pussy Riot members
6:41 AM 0
Poll
Most Popular World
- Man shot to death in Fla. while being questioned in Boston Marathon bombing investigation
- Polish man gets quick face transplant in what doctors say was life-saving decision
- UK official: Both suspects in London attack part of previous security services probes
- Preliminary estimate puts Oklahoma tornado damage at $2 billion; 13,000 homes damaged, ruined
- Gay teen charged for having younger girlfriend
- Brave woman tried to calm London attackers and reasoned with them before police came
- The pope and the devil: Francis' obsession with Satan leads to suspicion he performed exorcism
- Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris evacuated after suicide inside the landmark church
- FBI: Man killed had become violent during questioning on Boston bombing
- Youth in Stockholm burn down restaurant, torch more than 30 cars in 4th night of rioting
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Search for survivors of Oklahoma tornado nearly complete, as homeowners confront devastation
- Man shot to death in Fla. while being questioned in Boston Marathon bombing investigation
- Phone cracked? Cool
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Polish man gets quick face transplant in what doctors say was life-saving decision
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- The pope and the devil: Francis' obsession with Satan leads to suspicion he performed exorcism
- Amanda Berry, 1 of 3 women freed after held captive in Ohio home, arrives at sister's home
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
- Cleveland police: Ohio captive suffered 5 miscarriages after being beaten and starved
- Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder, says she prefers death penalty
- Neighbours: Man in custody comforted missing girl's mom, helped search for missing US women
- Search for survivors of Oklahoma tornado nearly complete, as homeowners confront devastation
- High school baseball team lifts car to free 16-year-old girl
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Youth in Stockholm burn down restaurant, torch more than 30 cars in 4th night of rioting
- Man shot to death in Fla. while being questioned in Boston Marathon bombing investigation
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of rock group The Doors, dies at 74 from cancer
- Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who intervened in California attack arrested in NJ homicide
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Argentina's 'dirty war' dictator dies
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Shady characters: Cookie Monster, Elmo accused of aggressive behaviour in Times Square
- U.S. envoy punted; Russia alleges spying
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Up to 60 people injured when car drives into Va. parade; medical emergency possible cause
- 'Coronation Street' actor William Roache charged in UK over alleged rapes in 1967
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Hitler ate well, his food taster recalls
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Female guards, rapidly growing in numbers, at heart of U.S. prison scandal
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Bill to alter rules of succession before Kate gives birth nears completion as Lords approve
- US tourists swim for nearly 14 hours after boat sinks near St. Lucia
- IBM makes movie about a little boy - a very little boy - by pushing molecules around
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.