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Yorba Linda Earthquake: Small 3.8 Tremor has Scientists Curious
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by Tina Kells | April 23, 2009 at 07:39 pm
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A small 3.8 magnitude earthquake shook Yorba Linda in Orange County California on April 23 and the small tremor has left scientists curious. While small earthquakes are not generally a case for concern this one is unusual because it does not fit with expected fault line behavior.
The small Yorba Linda earthquake has been compared to an unexpected shift in an older home; it could be a sign of growing crack in the foundation. California is no stranger to earthquakes and by magnitude alone the Yorba Linda quake is nothing special but it happened in an unexpected place and an unanticipated time and this has caused scientists to take notice.
Track tremors in real-time with the Southern California earthquake monitor
“It’s curious in the sense that it’s one of those sequences that doesn’t fit neatly into a well recognized mold,” Hough told the Register's Sciencedude blog. ” If it’s a swarm then it certainly isn’t a typical one – not that we understand what a swarm is, or why they happen!
“Offhand, I can’t recall another sequence quite like it, although it’s possible they’ve happened before and we’ve just never noticed because they haven’t been close to populated areas.”
Hough added in a later email: ” Little quakes don’t release enough stress to be any sort of ‘pressure valve,’ but maybe one analogy would be a large, loosely built frame house being buffeted by winds, and it’s the weak hinge that creaks. So then the little quakes would be releasing stress, but minor stress, not major tectonic stress.
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at 10:54 on April 24th, 2009
There were two more earthquakes after this one, but no reports of damages or injuries.
Source: nbcsandiego.com