On Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:51:39 -0400, dxAce wrote:

WLS 890 Chicago is reporting a preliminary 5.8 magnitude earthquake that
hit the greater Los Angeles area at 1842Z.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/...ci14383980.php

dxAce
Michigan
USA

-------- Below is the New York Times story from 1 hour ago
today---------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
July 30, 2008
Earthquake Rattles Southern California
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER

LOS ANGELES — A moderately strong earthquake shook Southern California on
Tuesday, swaying buildings and tossing food off grocery store shelves for
about 20 seconds. There were no immediate reports of major injuries or
structural damage.

The quake, estimated at 5.4 magnitude (reduced from an initial estimate
of 5.8), was centered 35 east of downtown Los Angeles in Chino Hills,
just south of Pomona in San Bernardino county. It was felt as far east as
Las Vegas and as far south as San Diego.

Cellphone lines were jammed throughout the region as people began to
frantically make calls in the immediate moments after the powerful jolt.
Schools, office buildings, tourist attractions like Disneyland and other
facilities were evacuated temporarily as people braced for aftershocks,
which were numerous and in some cases were as strong as 3.8 magnitude,
while the Los Angeles City Council stopped to regroup.

Residents adjusted to that eerie, off-putting sensation of having rolled
from side to side on the rollers that are common in seismically
engineered buildings, which can leave buildings swaying for several
seconds after the quake.

The shake was strong enough to knock pictures off walls and rattle
windows, but there appeared to be little damage near the earthquake’s
epicenter.

In Riverside, two women suffered minor head injuries from people climbing
under tables.

Denise Cattern, a spokeswoman for the Chino Hills city government, a few
miles from the epicenter, said that there were no report of major damage
or injuries, but that residents and businesses were reporting lots of
things falling from walls and shelves.

“Our nerves have been rattled,� she said, adding that in the aftermath,
“everything seems to be fine.�

Elizabeth Cespuglio, 17, of Corona, about eight miles from where the
quake struck, said she was at home watching television and working on her
computer when the shaking began. It began as a gentle roll, she said,
that grew stronger and accompanied a loud vibration that was unlike the
small tremors she has become accustomed to through living in Southern
California. She said she ran to a doorframe, as experts advise.

“I always kind of liked quakes when they were tiny,� Ms. Cespuglio said
by telephone. “But after it lasted longer, it kind of freaked me out.�

Two pictures, an eight-by-six and another that was slightly larger, fell
from a wall in an adjacent bedroom, she said, but they did not break, and
saw no other damage to the house. She said a small aftershock was felt a
few minutes later.

The last powerful earthquake to shake the region — among the most the
seismically active in the world — was the 1994 Northridge earthquake,
which registered at 6.7 magnitude and produced the highest ground
acceleration ever recorded in an urban area in America.

Randal C. Archibold contributed reporting.



Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company