Los Angeles Area Hit by Earthquake on Top of Raging Wildfires

Already ravaged by wildfires, the Los Angeles area is now dealing with a sizable earthquake.

Mar 29, 2020; Santa Monica, California, USA; General view of entrance to Santa Monica Pier closed due to COVID-19 pandemic. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Los Angeles area has faced a lot of devastation recently from multiple wildfires raging east of the city. Thousands of acres of land and multiple structures have been wiped out by the flames.

As if that and the heatwave weren’t enough to deal with, a sizable earthquake has been reported.

On Thursday morning, a 4.7-magnitude quake occurred. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the center of the earthquake was four miles north of Malibu and seven miles underground.

In Orange County, about 45 miles away, it could be felt. Several smaller aftershocks followed, as people were reporting items in their homes shook and moved around.

A bit of good news was shared as authorities in the area did not report any major damage or injuries. Some boulders were shaken loose and landed on Malibu road, while Santa Monica Pier could be seen shaking.

A live camera feed at the pier showed intense shaking for a few seconds, while news telecasts essentially aired the earthquake live as equipment was shaking in studio.

As shared by Jaimie Ding and Amy Taxin of the Associated Press, “The earthquake occurred closest to the Malibu fault, but was also near the Anacapa fault, according to California Institute of Technology seismologist Lucy Jones. Earthquakes below magnitude 5.0 are too small to be definitively associated with large faults that are mapped at the earth’s surface.”

Malibu councilmember Bruce Silverstein has lived in the area for 13 years. The earthquake on Thursday morning was the biggest one he had felt, but nothing broke inside his home.

“Our house shook for about two or three seconds. I was concerned the windows were going to pop,” Silverstein said.

This is at least the 14th earthquake in 2024 that has been felt in Southern California. 

This is already the most recorded number of earthquakes of that strength in the area, as the previous high was 13 in 1988. Well above the average of 8-10 per year, Jones said it is too early to tell if this is more than an anomaly

Just a few weeks ago a 4.4-magnitude one was recorded that was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego. 1927 Pasadena City Hall building had a pipe burst as a result.

Malibu felt a 4.6 magnitude quake in February that was pinpointed as being south of where Thursday’s was.

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