Another Quake Rumbles Near San Andreas

And hit to San Andreas or Cascadia faults could be even 'scarier'

(NEWSER) - Is what happened in Japan set to repeat itself in California? Author Simon Winchester thinks so. In an article for Newsweek that’s turning some heads , Winchester notes that though scientists aren’t sure why, major earthquakes have a tendency to happen in clusters, with a quake on one side of a plate followed by one on the other some weeks or months later. “It is as though the earth becomes like a great brass bell,” he writes. Strike it in one place, and the vibrations carry. More»

(NEWSER) - A 4.7 magnitude earthquake rattled much of southern California last night and caused minor property damage, reports the Los Angeles Times. Windows were broken and items toppled off shelves when the temblor struck east of Los Angeles Airport. No injuries were reported. The 15-second shaker was deep, originating some 8.4 miles below the earth's surface, which "tends to make it less of a jerky, abrupt motion," said a seismologist for the US Geological Survey. More»

2 girls dead in landslide; no damage in Calif.

(NEWSER) - A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook Southern California last night, leaving no reported damage—but Costa Rica didn’t fare as well in a 6.1 magnitude shake-up that killed two girls. A 7-year-old and a 9-year-old died in a landslide that destroyed their home, CNN reports. Some 1,000 tourists were stranded in one town. “We have had more than 600 aftershocks in the past three hours,” said a seismologist. More»

Southern California readies for 'the Big One' of earthquake-preparedness events

(NEWSER) - Geologists are hoping a huge party will shake some earthquake awareness into jaded Angelenos, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Great Southern California ShakeOut—an earthquake drill followed by a huge rally—is scheduled for Thursday morning and 5 million people have signed up so far, putting the event on course to be the biggest earthquake-preparedness event in history. More»

Aftershocks begin in wake of magnitude 5.8 temblor

(AP) - A moderate earthquake shook Southern California at 11:42am local time today. The quake was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, and slightly in Las Vegas, the AP reports. Preliminary information from the US Geological Survey estimated the quake at magnitude 5.8, centered 29 miles east-southeast of downtown Los Angeles, near Chino Hills. More»