Los Angeles and Hawaii were rocked by earthquakes just hours apart on Friday, February 9th. They caused no major damages or injuries, but only rattled the nerves of thousands of its residents.
The first quake occurred at 10:06 a.m. local time, south of the Big Island of Hawaii. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake had a magnitude of 5.7 and was followed by several aftershocks.
It was felt as far away as Oahu, where some buildings swayed and windows rattled. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center assured the residents that there was no threat of a tsunami.
The second quake occurred at 1:47 p.m. local time, about 7.5 miles northwest of Malibu, California. The USGS reported that the quake had a magnitude of 4.6, and was also followed by more than a dozen aftershocks.
This one was felt across the greater Los Angeles area, where some people reported hearing a loud boom and feeling a jolt. The Los Angeles Fire Department said that there were no reports of damage or injuries but will still keep monitoring for any new developments.
Many people questioned if the two earthquakes were related, but experts explained that they were not, and that they were common in the area.
Dr. Lucy Jones, a seismologist and founder of the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society, said that the quakes were caused by different tectonic plates, and that they were not triggered by each other. She also said that they were not a sign of a bigger quake to come, and that they were part of the normal seismic activity in the region.
Hawaii and California are both located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped zone of seismic and volcanic activity that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. The Ring of Fire is home to about 90% of the world’s earthquakes, and about 75% of the world’s volcanoes.
