LOS ANGELES -- A magnitude 4.7 earthquake shook the greater Los Angeles area Sunday night and rattled nerves, causing some minor damage.The quake, which struck at at 8:39 p.m., was centered 10 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles and three miles east of Los Angeles International Airport, near Lennox, according to the US Geological survey.
The rumbling lasted about 10 to 15 seconds and was also felt as far away as San Diego to the south and Ventura to the north.The depth of the epicenter was about 8.4 miles, according to the USGS.At least three aftershocks followed shortly after, the largest of which was a 3.1 magnitude tremor which occurred at 8:45 p.m. 3 miles southwest of Inglewood, according to Caltech officials.According to USGS seismologist Susan Hough, there is only a 5 percent chance of a larger quake striking the area.Seismologist Lucy Jones of the USGS said that it appears the earthquake appears to be consistent with a rupture on the Newport-Inglewood fault. She added that as the quake didn't break to the surface, it is difficult to identify any fault.
The same fault was responsible for the 6.3 magnitude Long Beach quake in 1933 , said Jones.The shaking was most intense in the coastal communities south of LAX.Burglar alarms were triggered in the city of El Segundo, according to Sgt. Mike Gill of the El Segundo Police Department, and the nearby Chevron refinery reportedly had a "burnoff"- a standard procedure of burning excess refinery gases after an earthquake.
Hawthorne firefighters were called to a damaged light pole on Chadron Avenue, near Crenshaw Boulevard.Minor damage including broken windows in the North Long Beach area and falling dishes and books from shelves in other surrounding areas have been reported.Glass shattered at a Starbucks in Torrance, where one person suffered minor injuries and was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital, according to officials with the Torrance Fire Department.No further details of the victim's injuries were released.
At the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach, ceiling tiles fell during a movie screening. Moviegoers fled the building.Disneyland also temporarily shut down rides following the quake, but no damage was reported.The Los Angeles Fire Department was surveying surrounding areas for further damage.Los Angeles International Airport, which lies close to the quakes epicenter, resumed normal operations following the quake. LAX officials released a statement saying,"Operations are normal and there are no flight delays following preliminary inspections of terminals, the airfield, Sepulveda Tunnel and other areas of the LAX Central Terminal Area."Sunday night's quake marks the largest to hit the greater Los Angeles area since a 5.4 magnitude quake struck Chino HIlls on July 29, 2008.The last damaging earthquake in Southern California was the 1994 magnitude-6.7 Northridge quake that toppled bridges and buildings. Dozens of people were killed and thousands more were injured in that devastating earthquake.
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