With the three earthquakes that were recorded this Wednesday morning, At least 72 earthquakes have accumulated that have had epicenters in the Malibu area, in Los Angelesduring the last month, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The first of the three slight tremors, of magnitude 2.7, occurred at approximately 1:46 am. The next two, of magnitudes 1.8 and 2.2, occurred in quick succession around 6:22 a.m.
Geologists estimated that the three small earthquakes They occurred at a depth of between 6 and 18 miles.
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According to the USGS, the largest earthquake was widely felt in Malibuin the Santa Monica Mountains and in the San Fernando Valley. Even residents as far away as Santa Ana, in Orange County, felt the earthquake.
Epicenter, in the Santa Monica Mountains
The epicenters were located about 3.5 miles north of Point Dumein the Santa Monica Mountains, an area where at least 72 earthquakes have been recorded in the last 30 days, most with small magnitudes, the USGS said.
At the end of last month, the United States Geological Survey reported that, in the period from September 1 to 27, In California, 230 earthquakes had been recorded.
In the Malibu area, the strongest earthquake occurred on September 12, with a magnitude of 4.7. On the same day there were two more earthquakes, magnitude 3.4while a day later there was an earth movement of magnitude 3.2.
Seismologist Lucy Jones told the Los Angeles Times that the Sept. 12 quake was part of the 14th seismic sequence this year in Southern California with at least one earthquake of magnitude 4 or greater, which broke a record of the last 65 years.
For Malibu, a big earthquake
According to the Southern California Seismic Network, a cooperative project between Caltech and USGS, such an earthquake can be the largest to have hit the area near Malibu since records began to be kept in 1932.
Keep reading: Riverside County wakes up to a 3.5 earthquake
For the last 92 years, Five earthquakes with magnitude greater than 4 have occurred within 7 miles of the epicenter of September 12.
It is pertinent to clarify that Unusual increase in seismic activity does not mean the so-called “Big One” may be near. There are two theories: that tectonic activity increases in an area before a large earthquake, or that seismic activity decreases before a large earthquake, the LA Times reported.
With low seismic risk
The Southern California Seismic Center said that the city of Malibu is not located on a major tectonic fault and will not experience mass devastation.
“For a larger magnitude earthquake to occur, it is necessary that the surface of a fault be larger or more extensive. A magnitude 8 earthquake cannot occur on a small local fault“said the center’s director, Mark L. Benthien, in a USC publication.
Keep reading: Southern California affected by a 3.9 magnitude earthquake
“On the faults close to those that produced these Malibu earthquakes, probably the largest earthquake could have been magnitude 7or close,” he added.
Some specialists considered that the recent earthquakes in Malibu They can be classified as aftershocks of the magnitude 4.7 earthquake which occurred on September 12.
Keep reading:
· Concern about seismic fault in Southern California
· Up to 50 aftershocks after earthquake that shakes Southern California
· Strong 5.2 earthquake shakes Southern California
