[US News] Minor earthquake hits Los Angeles region on Sunday morning

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Minor earthquake hits Los Angeles region on Sunday morning
From State Column

The third earthquake in a month hit the Los Angeles region early on Sunday morning.

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake shook the Los Angeles area early Sunday morning, rattling many residents awake right before dawn, but officials reported no injuries or damage as a result. The earthquake, which struck at 4am local time was centered in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood, about 7 miles southwest of downtown LA.

The United States Geological Survey reported that residents could feel light or weak shaking as far as 100 miles to the northwest in the town of Maricopa. The quake’s initial magnitude measured 3.9, but it was slightly downgraded shortly after.

According to Reuters, the Los Angeles Fire Department announced the region was safe after its 106 fire stations conducted a 470 square mile damage assessment. Many people took to social media to describe their experience in the earthquake, describing feeling a sudden jolt followed by a gentle rocking sensation.

Sunday morning’s quake was the third to measure greater than 3.0 this year, and occurs along a northern stretch of the Newport-Inglewood seismic fault zone. A quake measuring 3.3 and another measuring 3.4 hit the same area on April 13 and April 30, respectively.

According to the Southern California Seismic Network, such earthquakes are common in the seismically active region and are typically to weak to cause enough ground motion to damage property. Lucy Jones, a USGS seismologist, tweeted that “little earthquakes happen all the time, and we can’t find significant patterns.”

The LA quake follows a stronger 4.2 earthquake that occurred in the middle of the day on Saturday near Kalamazoo, Michgan. The Michigan quake produced weak shaking that residents could feel as far as Detroit, Toledo, Ohio, and South Bend Indiana.

Like the earthquake in Los Angeles, no property damage or injuries were reported as a result of seismic activity in the Midwest.