The aftermath of the Palisades fire, in Malibu, Calif., Jan. 17, 2025. Residents of parts of Los Angeles County on Sunday afternoon felt a minor earthquake centered west of Malibu, Calif. and preliminary estimates showed that the quake had a magnitude of 4.1, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (Mark Abramson/The New York Times)
- The 4.1-magnitude quake was felt across parts of Los Angeles County but caused no injuries or damage.
- Experts say California is in a period of increased seismic activity, though this quake doesn’t signal a larger one.
- Major past quakes include Loma Prieta (1989) and Northridge (1994), which caused significant destruction.
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Residents of parts of Los Angeles County on Sunday afternoon felt a minor earthquake centered west of Malibu, California. Preliminary estimates showed that the quake had a magnitude of 4.1, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Authorities said they had no reports of any injuries or damage in the immediate aftermath of the quake. The Los Angeles Fire Department said the earthquake was not strong enough to have triggered an official earthquake response.
Alan Delarosa, 47, a manager at Geoffrey’s, an open-air restaurant in Malibu overlooking the Pacific Ocean, was in an office when the quake occurred, shortly after 1 p.m. “I basically felt the room rocking back and forth,” he said.
The disturbance lasted about three seconds, he said. Once it was over, Delarosa rushed to check on his guests and staff. He was worried the gas line could have broken. But his kitchen staff didn’t even register the movement. The gas line was safe. There was no broken glass. But some of his guests told him they did feel the impact shaking.
Increased Seismic Activity in California
The temblor struck during what experts say could be a period of increased seismic activity in the state, after decades of relative quiet. But its occurrence does not signal that a larger, catastrophic quake is any more likely.
Seismologists have long warned that an overdue “Big One,” the likes of which California has not experienced since 1906, could happen at any time. They have urged residents to prepare as much as possible by assembling emergency supplies and practicing “drop, cover and hold on” exercises with their children.
It has been three decades since a significant quake struck California.
The Loma Prieta earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.9, shook the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1989, leaving 63 people dead and more than 3,700 people injured.
A magnitude 6.7 quake in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1994 left 60 people dead, about 7,000 injured and more than 40,000 buildings damaged. The catastrophe also revealed a major defect in some steel-frame buildings, including many high rises, which under extreme shaking could collapse.
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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
By Rachel Nostrant and Bernard Mokam/Mark Abramson
c. 2025 The New York Times Company
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