Earthquake in california

Question

there was a recent earthquake in south california o_o pretty big on too, was wonderin if there will be another one anytime soon?

Answer 1

It wasn't really that big.  There is a strong chance for one a hundred times more powerful.  That one was right in the middle of the LA basin rather than out in the dessert though.  It could have been really serious if it were more powerful.

Answer 2

I really hope not for all of you guys. From everything I have heard over here on the East coast that the last earthquake you guys went through is a drill for a really big one in the next 20 years. That is what they are forecasting. I wish you all hope and luck for whatever may come.

Answer 3

i live in california and 5.4 isn't all that big. some stuff fell over and a few pillars cracked. the "dramatic" footage and photos with cans falling over in grocery stores. yes, another one will happen soon, probably this month. but it will probably be very small, like in the 0-2.7 range. but thats just daily life here. we had a strong-ish earthquake here in the oakland area (bay area) of 4.6 and i just kept sitting there on the couch right through it. then last month we had a 3.8, 3.5, and a 3.2 in the same night. that's why the LA earthquake was referred to as a 'moderate' quake.

Answer 4

Yes.  You are still having them as I type this.  You'll note though, that you can't feel them, simply because they aren't big enough for you to feel.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/rece...

But the one you felt the other day was 'the big one' for this event - ie, it was the one that let off all the pressure that has been building lately.  The ones going on now are settling after the fact (commonly known as aftershocks).

What's happening is that the stress between the Pacific and North American plates is building up (at the San Andreas fault).  This is like what happens when you shake a soda bottle.  But instead of releasing all that pressure at once by taking the cap completely off (which would be The Big One that the Pacific NW is gearing up for), California basically 'twists the cap' a little at a time -  letting off a little bit of pressure here and there, keeping the total pressure from getting too high to explode the cap off the bottle. You actually *want* these Mag 5 or so earthquakes to happen, so that you don't get a much larger Mag 8 or 9 in the future.

The 5.4 earthquake was just another twist of the cap.  Don't worry about it.