Earthquakes have shaken both coasts of the United States since the afternoon of Aug. 5 — rattling areas near the country’s two largest metro regions.
In Southern California, a quake struck Rialto on Tuesday evening, Aug. 5, followed by two more overnight in the San Bernardino area early Wednesday, Aug. 6, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Farther north, two additional tremors were reported near Petrolia and Ferndale, also during the overnight hours.
Earlier that same day, residents in parts of New York reported feeling shaking after an earthquake hit northern New Jersey.
3 quakes hit San Bernardino area in Southern California
At around 5 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Aug. 5, a magnitude 3.5 quake with a depth of about 4 miles hit about 4 miles northwest of Rialto, California, according to USGS.
Overnight, another magnitude 3.5 tremor was recorded about 3 miles southeast of Ontario at around 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Aug. 6. That event had a depth of around 4 miles, per USGS.
An hour after that, a magnitude 3.7 quake with a roughly 6.5 mile depth hit less than 4 miles north of Lytle Creek, per USGS.
All three events caused light shaking around the San Bernardino area, according to impact reports compiled by USGS, which are not scientifically verified.
How many earthquakes struck in California early Wednesday?
As of 7 a.m. local time Wednesday, Aug. 6, dozens of earthquakes had been reported in California, according to the Southern California Earthquake Data Center. At least 15 of those were minor quakes measuring less than 1.0 magnitude. The strongest so far was the 3.7-magnitude earthquake that struck near Lytle Creek, just north of San Bernardino.
Can earthquakes be predicted?
Earthquakes are not predicted. Neither the U.S. Geological Survey, nor scientists, have predicted a major earthquake, and there's no expectation for that to change in the near future.
Are earthquakes increasing?
While it might seem like earthquakes are happening more often, especially with real-time alerts and widespread media coverage, the overall rate of earthquakes has remained relatively stable over time.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, any year may appear more active due to improvements in technology that allow scientists to detect more small quakes than in the past — not because there are actually more earthquakes occurring.
Long-term global records dating back to 1900 show that the Earth averages about 16 major earthquakes (magnitude 7.0 or greater) each year — typically 15 in the 7.0 range and one magnitude 8.0 or higher. In 2024, there were 10 earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater, the strongest being a 7.5 in Japan.
However, the risk of being affected by an earthquake is growing because of increasing human and economic exposure and the number of assets being built in high earthquake hazard areas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a report in 2023.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Earthquakes rattle Southern California: See the biggest and how many
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