Latest Earthquake off Malibu Coast: 3.2 Magnitude Quake Strikes Southern California | Nature

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Malibu on Saturday afternoon, the most recent temblor this month to rumble alongside the Southern California coast.

Saturday’s earthquake was the seventh of magnitude 3 or larger since Sept. 12, when a magnitude 4.7 earthquake simply north of Malibu was broadly felt throughout Southern California, highly effective sufficient that it briefly unsettled information anchors at KTTV-TV and KABC-TV who have been broadcasting reside.

But in distinction to a lot of the Malibu-area quakes that adopted Sept. 12, which occurred beneath land, Saturday’s quake was offshore of Malibu, about 6 miles southwest of Point Dume.

Only “weak” shaking was felt in components of Malibu on Saturday, in response to the U.S. Geological Survey, as outlined by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. “Weak” shaking is usually outlined as both being felt solely by a number of folks at relaxation, or felt fairly noticeably by folks indoors.

Before Saturday, the final earthquake on this space of magnitude 3 or larger was virtually precisely per week in the past — a magnitude 3.1 earthquake simply north of Malibu, which hit on Sept. 21 at 2:15 p.m.

This has been an unusually lively yr for average earthquakes in Southern California. The Sept. 12 earthquake north of Malibu was a part of the 14th seismic sequence this yr in Southern California with a minimum of one magnitude 4 or increased earthquake, seismologist Lucy Jones, a Caltech analysis affiliate, stated earlier this month.

That broke a document for the final 65 years. Over that point interval, Jones stated, there was a median of eight to 10 impartial sequences of earthquakes yearly that included a minimum of one temblor of magnitude 4 or larger.

In some years, there have been only one or two of these earthquake sequences; the very best earlier tally was 13 in 1988.

The remark just isn't essentially a sign that a big, damaging earthquake is across the nook, scientists stated. There have been dueling theories, with one being that earthquake exercise will increase in a area earlier than a big earthquake, whereas one other says seismic exercise decreases earlier than a big jolt.

So the current exercise doesn't supply any trace of when the subsequent massive, harmful temblor will happen, stated Susan Hough, a U.S. Geological Survey seismologist, earlier this month.

Did you are feeling this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.

Are you prepared for when the Big One hits? Get prepared for the subsequent large earthquake by signing up for our Unshaken e-newsletter, which breaks down emergency preparedness into bite-sized steps over six weeks. Learn extra about earthquake kits, which apps you want, Lucy Jones’ most vital recommendation and extra at latimes.com/Unshaken.