40 Aftershocks Recorded After 5.0 Quake at Malibu Rocks Wide Area; 4 Injured

At least 40 aftershocks were recorded early today in the wake of an earthquake that was centered in the Malibu area, causing minor damage and slightly injuring at least four people.

The moderate quake, measuring 5 on the Richter scale, hit at 10:56 p.m Wednesday. It was centered in the Santa Monica Bay about 8 miles south of Malibu and was felt from San Diego County 100 miles south to Santa Barbara, about 100 miles to the north.

Caltech seismic analyst Steve Bryant said 20 aftershocks were recorded before 1 a.m.--the largest measuring 3.3 on a composite seismographic scale. Since 1 a.m., at least 20 more were registered, he said.

“With a quake this size, we expect to see (aftershocks) for several days,” Bryant said. “They should decrease after a while.”

An earthquake measuring 5 is classified as “moderate,” capable of causing minor damage if centered in an urban area.

The quake shook office buildings 25 miles away in downtown Los Angeles with a rolling motion for 10 to 15 seconds, but was felt as a sharp jolt closer to the epicenter.

In Malibu, an early assessment showed only minor damage, sheriff’s Lt. Jim Glazar said.

The rumble sent rocks tumbling down from the mountainside onto the road through Malibu Canyon and toppled bottles and jars from shelves at a Hughes’ Market, causing several thousand dollars damage to merchandise in the store, Manager Kelly Seidel said.

“It hit real hard down here,” Seidel said, noting that several shoppers in the store abandoned their shopping carts when the shaking started and ran outside.

Glazar said the quake also pushed six cans and a bottle of beer onto the floor of the evidence locker of the Malibu sheriff’s station, where they were being held for evidence.

“When the evidence custodian came in this morning, she found a big puddle of beer on the floor,” he said.

In Santa Monica, the quake shattered a 10-by-15-foot storefront window at a downtown J. C. Penney Co. and caused a few small cracks in the stucco at City Hall, police Lt. Roy McGinnis said.

Area hospitals reported that four people were treated for cuts and other minor injuries, including a woman who broke her foot when she jumped out of bed, hospital officials said.

The Department of Water and Power said more than 90,000 people were momentarily without electricity because of automatic shutdowns of some equipment due to the quake.

Bryant said there are several large fault lines in the coastal area where the quake was centered, including the Elysian Park and Torrance-Wilmington faults.