A Magnitude 2.6 Earthquake Shook Portions of South California

According to the US Geological Survey, a magnitude 2.6 earthquake centered approximately east of Anaheim rattled Orange County and other portions of Southern California on Thursday, May 27.

Cali Earthquake

Around 5:07 p.m., the quake struck. According to the USGS, the epicenter was roughly two and a half miles east of Anaheim. It was estimated to be approximately 3.3 miles deep.

According to the USGS, it was a class four earthquake, meaning minor shaking but no damage.

Where it Struck

Several residents in inland Orange County and the Newport Beach region told the USGS that they felt the tremors. According to the USGS, there were additional reports of minor shaking in Rancho Palos Verdes and Santa Monica.

Earthquake

An earthquake (also called a quake, tremor, or temblor) is the shaking of the Earth's surface caused by a rapid release of energy in the lithosphere, which results in seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in size from those that are too little to be felt to powerful enough to throw things and people into the air and destroy entire towns. The number, kind, and size of earthquakes experienced throughout time define an area's seismicity or seismic activity. The non-earthquake seismic rumbling is sometimes referred to as a tremor.

Related Article: Supercomputer's 700,000 Year-Earthquake Simulation Could Predict When it'll Hit

Land Tremors

Earthquakes cause shaking and shifting or disruption of the ground at the Earth's surface. The seafloor may be shifted enough to generate a tsunami when the epicenter of a big earthquake is located offshore. Landslides and, on rare occasions, volcanic activity can be triggered by earthquakes.

In its broadest definition, the term earthquake refers to any seismic event that creates seismic waves, whether natural or created by people. Earthquakes are primarily generated by geological fault rupture, although they can also be produced by volcanic activity, landslides, mine explosion, and nuclear testing. The hypocenter or focus of an earthquake is the site of the first rupture. The epicenter is the location directly above the hypocenter at ground level.

Quaking or shaking of the Earth is a regular occurrence that has likely been seen by mankind since the dawn of humanity. Before the invention of strong-motion accelerometers that can directly measure peak ground speed and acceleration, the earth-shaking intensity was approximated based on the observable effects, which were classed on several seismic intensity scales.

Quake Sources

The source of such shaking has only recently been recognized as ruptures in the Earth's crust, with the intensity of shaking at any given location depending not only on local ground conditions but also on the strength or size of the rupture and its distance.

Richter Scale

Charles F. Richter created the first scale for quantifying earthquake magnitudes in 1935. A significant aspect of subsequent scales (see seismic magnitude scales) is that each unit reflects a ten-fold change in ground shaking amplitude and a 32-fold change in energy. Within the scale's boundaries, subsequent scales are likewise modified to have roughly the same numeric value.

Although earthquake magnitudes are usually reported in the media as "Richter magnitude" or "Richter scale," most seismological experts use the moment magnitude scale to characterize an earthquake's strength based on the actual energy generated by an earthquake.

Also Read: Gender Reveal Triggered 'Earthquake-Like Tremors' in New Hampshire

For more news about natural calamities, don't forget to follow Nature World News!