Parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties were jolted Monday morning by a strong earthquake near San Diego.
The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 and was near the mountain town of Julian, east of San Diego, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Multiple aftershocks in the 2 and 3 magnitude range have been reported.
Transportation officials warned motorists to watch out for rocks that tumbled down hillsides and onto roads and highways, including State Route 76 northwest of Julian. Crews were assessing roadways for potential damage, the California Department of Transportation in San Diego County said.
At the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a herd of African elephants was caught on video running over to protect their young by encircling them during the quake. Elephants have the ability to feel sound through their feet, and the behavior is known as an “alert circle.” The herd consisting of Ndlula, Umngani, Khosi, and youngsters Zuli and Mkhaya, appeared to relax after several minutes, the park said.
North County Transit District trains were delayed so crews could inspect the tracks for any potential damage, spokesperson Mary Dover said in an email to The Associated Press.
Schoolchildren were escorted outside of buildings as a precaution when the ground started moving, said Capt. Thomas Shoots of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for San Diego County. He got a shake alert and then started feeling things rolling and banging.
“There was a lot of shaking and rattling around,” he said. “But thankfully everything seems to be back to normal.”
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said it received no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Where was the San Diego earthquake felt?
Eyewitness News received calls from viewers who felt the shaking in parts of the San Fernando Valley, Riverside, Palm Springs and more. The quake was centered about 2.5 miles south of Julian, a picturesque town best known for its apple pies and bakeries.
“There’s nothing about what we see at this point that’s surprising,” said Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones. “There shouldn’t be any structural damage. If there is, it’s in a pretty bad building. There would be things displaced off of shelves.”
How are California officials and agencies responding to the earthquake?
Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the earthquake, his office said in a statement on social media. The state is working with local first responders to assess any damage.
In Orange County, Metrolink tracks are closed between Oceanside and San Clemente for precautionary track inspections. It’s unclear how long they will be closed.
In the city of Los Angeles, the fire department went into earthquake mode, where personnel surveyed the city by land, air and sea to asses damage. The process took about an hour.
“No significant infra/structure damage or injuries have been noted within the City of Los Angeles,” fire officials said in a statement. “LAFD Earthquake Mode is now complete and normal operations shall resume.”
Is there a tsunami warning after the San Diego earthquake?
Meanwhile, Jones said there’s no concern regarding tsunami warnings.
“As long as the earthquake is on land, you’re not going to be seeing a tsunami,” said Jones. “You have to have the fault under the water. Changing the shape of the ocean floor is how you create a tsunami. In rare cases, you can do that with just a landslide, but you aren’t going to trigger a big landslide enough to cause any sort of tsunami until you’re over a magnitude 7.”
3.5 foreshock reported before San Diego quake
Jones said a 3.3 magnitude foreshock hit on Sunday afternoon.
“The chance that … this 5.2 would itself be a foreshock to something bigger is still the same,” she said. “It’s about 5% chance. So it means, you know, 19 out of 20 times what you’re seeing is the biggest one. One out of 20 times, it’s followed by something bigger.”
Which fault line is associated with the San Diego earthquake?
Jones said the earthquake was likely associated with the Elsinore fault.
The fault zone is one of the largest in Southern California and, historically, has been one of the quietest, according to the Caltech Southern California Data Center. The main part of the Elsinore fault zone has only seen one earthquake greater than 5.2 magnitude: A 6 magnitude earthquake in 1910 near the Temescal Valley, causing little damage.
Source: abc7