International Breaking News

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake shakes wide area of Southern California; no damage reported

By: Mark Terrill, The Associated Press

Monday, Mar. 11, 2013 at 10:51 PM | Comments: 0

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - A modest earthquake left Southern California with the jitters Monday but no serious damage as the temblor caused swaying and rolling from the desert to the coast, sending children scrambling under their desks and office workers running for the door.

The 9:55 a.m. quake had an estimated magnitude of 4.7, said Nick Scheckel, seismic analyst at the California Institute of Technology's seismological laboratory in Pasadena.

The epicenter was about a dozen miles from the Riverside County desert community of Anza, about 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles, and it was felt strongly at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament happening in nearby Indian Wells.

The temblor, which occurred at a depth of eight miles, caused a swaying or rolling motion in Los Angeles and San Diego as well as in Orange and San Bernardino counties. It was sandwiched between several foreshocks and aftershocks.

"It kind of shook and then I thought, 'God, is that an earthquake?'" said Susie Bride, a cashier at Cahuilla Mountain Market and Cafe in Anza. "It kind of shook and then it rolled a little bit and then it shook again."

There was no damage at the store, and authorities said there were no reports of damage or injuries in the region. Quakes of that magnitude are unlikely to do much harm to modern buildings, said Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena.

At the BNP Paribas Open, tennis star Rafael Nadal felt the shaking while he was on the massage table preparing for his third-round match against Leonardo Mayer of Argentina and said he was "very scared."

It was the Spaniard's first earthquake experience and he said his legs were wobbling from it.

The temblor was a strike-slip earthquake on the San Jacinto Fault, the most active fault in Southern California, Jones said.

In the past two decades, there have been five quakes of magnitude 4.7 or greater on the fault, she said, and in the 20th century there were eight quakes of magnitude 6 and above.

The quake's preliminary magnitude estimate of 5.1 was changed after a review by seismologists, which is not uncommon. The computer also erroneously took readings from the main shock and increased the magnitudes of foreshocks and an aftershock, causing confusion.

Rachelle Siefken was at home in the Riverside County town of Aguanga with her 4-year-old daughter and 16-month-old son when the shaking started. It was the first earthquake for both children and her son in particular was scared, she said.

"I grabbed him up in my arms and I stood in the doorway with him," said Siefken, who teaches English online for the California Virtual Academy.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Tami Abdollah, Sue Manning, Greg Risling, Justin Pritchard, Robert Jablon and John Antczak in Los Angeles; Gillian Flaccus in Orange County; and Beth Harris in Indian Wells.

Rate this
This article has not yet been rated.

We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.

Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.

Sort by: Newest to Oldest | Oldest to Newest | Most Popular 0 Comments

You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

There are no comments at the moment. Be the first to post a comment below.

Post Your Comment

The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.