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Magnitude-5.1 earthquake shakes Los Angeles

Source: Agencies | March 30, 2014, Sunday | Online Edition

A magnitude-5.1 earthquake centered near Los Angeles caused no major damage but jittered nerves throughout the region as dozens of aftershocks followed.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at about 9:09pm Friday and was centered near Brea in Orange County — about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of downtown Los Angeles — at a depth of about 5 miles (8 kilometers).

It was felt as far south as San Diego and as far north as Ventura County, according to the USGS.

Broken glass, gas leaks, water main breaks and a rockslide were reported near the epicenter, according to Twitter updates from local authorities. Photos and videos showed bottles and packages strewn on store floors. Southern California Edison reported power outages to about 2,000 customers.

More than two dozen aftershocks ranging from magnitudes 2 to 3.6 were recorded, according to the USGS. Earlier in the evening, two foreshocks registering at magnitude-3.6 and magnitude-2.1 hit nearby in the city of La Habra.

Public safety officials said crews were inspecting bridges, dams, rail tracks and other infrastructure systems for signs of damage. The Brea police department said the rock slide in the Carbon Canyon area caused a car to overturn.

Callers to KNX-AM reported seeing a brick wall collapse, water sloshing in a swimming pool and wires and trees swaying back and forth. One caller was in a movie theater lobby in Brea when the quake struck.

"A lot of the glass in the place shook like crazy," he said. "It started like a roll and then it started shaking like crazy. Everybody ran outside, hugging each other in the streets."

A helicopter news reporter from KNBC-TV reported that rides at Disneyland in Anaheim — several miles from the epicenter — were stopped as a precaution.

Tom Connolly, a Boeing employee who lives in La Mirada, the next town over from La Habra, said the magnitude-5.1 quake lasted about 30 seconds.

"We felt a really good jolt. It was a long rumble and it just didn't feel like it would end," he told The Associated Press by phone.

Southern California has not experienced a devastating earthquake since the 1994 magnitude-6.7 Northridge quake killed several dozen people and caused US$25 billion in damage.

Preliminary data suggest Friday night's 5.1 magnitude earthquake occurred near the Puente Hills thrust fault, which stretches from the San Gabriel Valley to downtown Los Angeles and caused the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said.

The 5.9 magnitude Whittier Narrows quake killed eight people and caused US$360 million in damage.

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