4.7 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Near Los Angeles

As California continues to brace for the "big one", the state gets a steady dose of reminders of just how helpless and vulnerable they truly are when it comes to forces of nature. The most recent earthquake hit last night around 9PM about 10 miles southwest of Los Angeles. So far, at least 10 aftershocks have hit the area through this morning, with the largest registering as a magnitude 3.1.

Some generally minor damage has been reported thus far, with broken glasses, storefront windows and books being among the victims. The closest major structure to the epicenter of the quake was Los Angeles International Airport. There were no injuries reported at LAX and the airport seems to have escaped any damage from the quake. There is no word as to whether any planes were in the process of take-off or landing at the time that the quake hit.

Seismologists are still investigating the source of the quake as well as interpreting measurements of its magnitude. Initial reports pegged the quake at 4.7 on the Richter scale, with an early upward adjustment to 5.0, then back down to 4.7. At this point, geologists are pointing to the Newport-Inglewood fault as the likely source of the quake.

That fault was the source of a 1933 earthquake that killed 120 and caused millions in damages. That quake measured 6.4 on the Richter scale. Southern California has managed to avoid a serious earthquake since 1994.