4.7 quake causes minor property damage in L.A. County
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Los Angeles Times | May 18, 2009 | 12.30 p.m. PT
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake shook a large stretch of Southern California on Sunday night. There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries, though some broken windows, falling dishes and minor property damage occurred.
The quake hit at 8:39 p.m. and was centered near Lennox, a community between Inglewood and Hawthorne and east of Los Angeles International Airport. Lasting about 15 seconds, the temblor could be felt as far away as the High Desert, Indio, Carpinteria and San Diego County.
The earthquake was "a bit deep," said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough -- originating 8.4 miles below the surface. "That tends to make it less sharp -- less of a jerky, abrupt motion," Hough said. As a result, most of the region felt the quake as a rolling motion, though some closer to the center may have felt a jolt.
"It felt like all the windows were about to pop," said Joseph Poindexter, 36, of Los Angeles, who was inside the Hollywood Park Casino. "It sounded like a big sonic boom. Everybody started running or ducking under the tables."
Automatic sensors initially logged a magnitude 5, but as more data came in, seismologists downgraded it to a magnitude 4.7. A brief aftershock, registering 3.1, followed the quake at 8:45 p.m., also centered in the Lennox area.