A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck Southern California on Friday morning, less than a week after a magnitude 4.1 New Year’s tremor shook Rose Parade attendees in Pasadena.
The earthquake, which struck at 10:55 a.m., caused light tremors in swaths of Southern California, as defined by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That’s enough shaking to rattle dishes and can feel like a vehicle crashing into a building.
The epicenter occurred approximately 1 mile northwest of the remote community of Lytle Creek in the San Gabriel Mountains of San Bernardino County, 12 miles northeast of Rancho Cucamonga, 27 miles northwest of San Bernardino, and 45 miles north northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Fontana residents reported strong shaking strong enough to set off car alarms. In Rowland Heights, people said they felt like they were being rocked back and forth and that doors and beds were shaking.
Epicenter was near Lytle Creek in Cajon Pass, seismologist Lucy Jones wrote on social media.. Jones noted that this is where “the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults meet. In 1970, there was an M5.2 with an M4.0 preamp near the same location.”
David Loyola was about to bite into his rotisserie chicken at the Rancho Cucamonga Costco when the noise interrupted his lunch. He looked at his co-worker sitting across from him.
“What the hell,” Loyola said, as he felt his body jumping up and down, as if he were driving over a speed bump. The two FedEx employees looked at each other and then around to make sure they “weren’t acting crazy.” Nothing seemed to be broken or knocked over by the earthquake, but “people just seemed amazed,” she said.
Minutes later, his wife called him to check on him. “Yes, I’m fine,” Loyola told him. “It just interrupted my lunch.”
Weak to mild shaking was felt in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, as well as northern San Diego County and parts of the Mojave Desert. The earthquake occurred just west of the Cajon Pass, where Interstate 15, the main route between Southern California and Las Vegas, runs.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said there were no reports of damage or calls for service related to Friday’s earthquake. The Los Angeles Fire Department also reported no injuries or structural damage.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reminded Angelenos to be prepared for the next earthquake.
“An earthquake just hit the Los Angeles area this morning.” Bass wrote on social media.. “This is a reminder that earthquakes can occur at any time. Make a plan to prepare for emergencies at ReadyLA.org.”
An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0 and 5.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 5.6 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Find out what to do before and during an earthquake near you by subscribing to our Unshaken newsletter, which breaks down emergency preparedness into bite-sized steps over six weeks. Learn more about earthquake kits, the apps you need, top tips from seismologist Jones, and more at latimes.com/Unshaken.
An earlier version of this report was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. If you are interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequent questions.
