Easter Sunday Earthquake In Southern California

[erik]

We kind of got a bit more than we bargained for here in Southern California this Easter Sunday.

At about 3:40 PM our time, we were rattled here by the 45 second-long rolling motion of a farily substantial earthquake that was centered in northern Baja, twenty miles south of the border town of Mexicali. At the Easter meal we had at my house, the overhead lamp above the dinner table swayed back and forth, and the floor underneath vibrated rather ominously.

The quake's magnitide, according to the seismologists at CalTech here in Pasadena, was estimated at 7.2, meaning that it was a fairly sizeable quake. There haven't been any reports of damage here in Southern California from the temblor, but it may be a different story in Mexicali, where some damage must have occurred. The epicenter may have been in a very isolated mountain region, but highways down there may have suffered some buckling, and strucutres may have been compromised.

[robertaxel]

very scary... glad all is OK with you, Erik

[erik]

You'll probably be able to see some actual video footage of the vibrations and shaking caused by the quake on YouTube. It was fairly scary to watch up close and personal at the dinner table for me; and elsewhere, they had video on the TV of the quake causing water to slosh over the tops of some backyard swimming pools.

It's the second quake that has rattled this area in under three weeks, and naturally it's causing a lot of concern as to whether "The Big One" is coming. But the way I look at it, since such an event cannot and probably shouldn't be predicted, the best one can do here is to be prepared and informed.