SALINAS,
Calif.—A moderate earthquake and minor aftershocks jolted the central
California coast over the weekend but didn't cause any damage,
authorities said. Nearly 6,700 people reported feeling the
magnitude 5.3-quake when it struck late Saturday outside of King City,
the U.S. Geological Survey said on its website.
USGS
geophysicist Don Blakeman said the temblor struck in a "seismically
active area" near the San Andreas Fault, about 90 miles southeast of San
Jose. It was followed by at least four aftershocks that were greater
than magnitude 2.5.
The area where the quake hit is a mostly rural area of rolling hills with large farms and ranches.
A
magnitude 5-quake is capable of causing damage—most often knocking
things off shelves and making moderate cracks in walls and foundations,
the USGS said. The sheriff departments for Monterey and nearby San Luis
Obispo counties said they received calls about the earthquake but no
reports of damage.
Far to the north, a minor earthquake with a
preliminary magnitude of 3.5 rattled an area 15 miles east of Eureka,
USGS said. Eureka police said no damage or injuries were reported.
The quake near Eureka was not related to the ones near King City, Blakeman said.
end quote from:
5.3-magnitude quake, aftershocks rattle Calif.
If you live anywhere in California you have to expect to live through one or more this size every year and hundreds of littler ones that are mostly so mild you can usually sleep through. I didn't feel this one as I was watching Saturday Night Live at the time and too far away to feel much. However, my wife who was reading in the bedroom felt it but the pictures didn't rattle on the walls where we were. However, my son says that where he was the kitchen rattled and pictures bounced all over the walls and things bounced along the floor but nothing broke. A 5 to 6 point earthquake will wake you up and scare you pretty bad. But, if you are in California where houses have to be built to withstand about a 7.0 earthquake now it likely isn't going to kill you. In another country it might, however where the building codes aren't as strict or there are still very old houses and structures still standing.
No comments:
Post a Comment