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A magnitude 3.8 earthquake shook Malibu and the West Side of Los Angeles on Friday.
The epicenter was about 7.5 miles north of Point Dume, in the mountains above the Malibu city limits. This is the seventh earthquake to occur in this area this year.
The U.S. Geological Survey said “weak” shaking, or Level 3 as defined on the modified Mercalli intensity scale, may have been felt in Malibu, Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, Winnetka and Reseda. .
Shaking of this magnitude is generally very noticeable indoors, especially on upper floors, and can cause the vehicle to shake slightly while idling.
The weak shaking, considered a Level 2 on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, could be felt in Santa Monica, the rest of the San Fernando Valley, and throughout the Los Angeles Basin. Only a few people, especially those resting on the upper floors of buildings, will feel the intensity of the shaking.
At Mar Vista, shaking was felt for about 10 to 15 seconds on the second floor of the building, as if someone had kicked a desk and made it wobble.
Friday’s epicenter was about three-fifths of a mile northeast of the much larger magnitude 4.7 earthquake that occurred on Sept. 12. The quake was strong enough to send the mayor and his wife of Malibu diving under the kitchen table and startle the anchors who were broadcasting live. KABC television and KTTV television.
Friday’s epicenter was also about 9 miles northeast of the magnitude 4.6 quake that occurred on Feb. 9, with the epicenter within the city limits of Malibu. The earthquake was said to have been strong enough to throw items off the counter and cause cracks in the walls.
So far this year, Southern California has experienced 15 separate earthquakes, with at least one of magnitude 4 or greater, according to a count compiled by seismologist Lucy Jones. This is the highest number in a year in the past 65 years, surpassing the 13 cases in 1988.
But seismically active years provide no clues about when the next major and damaging earthquake will occur in Los Angeles County. The last such earthquake in Los Angeles County was 30 years ago, when a magnitude 6.7 quake centered in the San Fernando Valley killed at least 57 people, injured more than 7,000 and left about 20,000 homeless. More than 40,000 buildings were damaged.
Southern California’s last major earthquake occurred in 1857, when a magnitude 7.8 quake ruptured about 325 miles of the San Andreas fault between Monterey and San Bernardino counties.
Are you ready when the Big One strikes? Sign up for the Unshaken Newsletter and be ready for the next big one. This newsletter provides a six-week, step-by-step guide to emergency preparedness. For more information on earthquake kits, the apps you need, Lucy Jones’ top advice and more, visit latimes.com/Unshaken.
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