Temblor Causes Little Damage but Nerves Are Frayed

Windows shattered, walls cracked, bottles and jars toppled from supermarket shelves and rockslides cluttered the path of drivers on a canyon road, but residents’ nerves suffered the greatest damage from the sharp, 5.0 earthquake that jolted the Southland late Wednesday, triggering more than 50 aftershocks Thursday.

The temblor, centered in Santa Monica Bay about 8 miles south of Malibu, briefly knocked out power to about 100,000 people in Los Angeles, shook downtown buildings and caused some minor injuries on the Westside, where the strongest rocking was reported.

The quake was felt from Santa Barbara to San Diego and as far east as San Bernardino.

Third Quake in 3 Months

It was the third quake in less than three months to strike the Los Angeles area with more than a 4.0-magnitude wallop. A temblor in Huntington Beach measured 4.7 in November, followed by a 4.9 or 5.0 shaker in Pasadena in December.

Caltech seismologists described the cluster of moderate-sized quakes as unusual, adding that, overall, seismic activity in the region has escalated sharply since last summer. The reason for the increase remains a mystery, they said.

Lucille Jones, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena, said there were more than 20 aftershocks with a magnitude greater than 2.0 within 90 minutes of the 10:54 p.m. main quake. Scientists said more than 50 aftershocks were counted by late Thursday afternoon, with the greatest jolt measured at 3.7 and three others above 3.0.

The main jolt startled many people awake with what some described as an “explosion” and continued to rumble for up to 20 seconds. Frightened shoppers and late-night revelers poured out of doors seeking refuge from falling bottles, while restaurant managers and supermarket clerks in Malibu and Santa Monica spent the next several hours cleaning up a variety of spills.

Broad Reaction

Reaction to the temblor was as broad as the area it rocked.

“It was weird. Everyone suddenly stopped bowling, but the pins were falling down anyway,” said Brian Sheridan, who was participating in his favorite pastime at Mar Vista Bowl on Venice Boulevard. “It was a good jolt. The lights when out and people screamed. But I got a strike.”

It is unlikely that Irene Sylvester will ever forget the quake. She broke her foot while running to check on her child, becoming one of at least four people who were reported injured.

“I was just up and running before I was awake and then I fell wrong,” Sylvester said from her Mar Vista home, where she sported a new, two-tone cast bearing UCLA’s colors. “I heard this crack and then I spent some time wondering how bad it (the injury) was.”

Injuries Treated

Sylvester drove herself to St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, where emergency room workers also treated a 27-year-old woman for facial cuts she received when a mirror fell off a wall and hit her on the head.

A man was treated for cuts on his foot suffered during a fall, and an elderly woman was treated for chest pains attributed to fright, according to a spokeswoman at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital in Marina del Rey.

A clerk at the Hughes Market on Malibu Road said there were about 25 people in the store when the jolt hit, knocking liquor bottles, jams, sauces, plants and cases of canned goods to the floor. She said the floor looked like someone was “trying to make a great big pot of sauce. It was a mess.”

Workers there were still cleaning up eight hours after the quake struck. Hughes officials estimated damage at between $5,000 and $10,000.

Shattered Windows

In Santa Monica, Ray Swartz pulled up to his office Thursday to find two huge plate glass windows shattered. It was a particularly troubling sight for him: He owns the Swartz Glass Co.

“When I came in, I said to myself, ‘I wish I was a baker,’ ” Swartz said. “I knew it was going to be a hectic day last night, but I didn’t think I’d be working on my own shop. We’ve had umpteen calls to fix windows today.”

California Highway Patrol officers were forced to direct traffic around a small rock slide on Malibu Canyon Road, which snakes through the Santa Monica Mountains to the San Fernando Valley. Authorities reported that at least four motorists had blown tires when they caromed off rocks in the roadway before county crews cleared the debris.

Seismologists remain puzzled about the recent surge in Southland temblors. Last June, for example, monitoring stations in the region recorded 20 quakes, most of them too small to be felt. In July, the number rose to 25, and in August it reached 30.

Seismic Activity

In September, 50 quakes were recorded, and the number remained consistent through the end of the year. Yet scientists say they have no idea if the trend will continue.

Most of the seismic activity seems centered on Los Angeles-area faults, not on the San Andreas, the huge fault line on which many scientists expect the next devastating California earthquake to occur. As a result, seismologists do not expect the barrage of local temblors to portend “the Big One.”

Scientists expect the aftershocks from Wednesday’s temblor to last for weeks.

“Probably there will be over 100 of them in the next few weeks,” said Lisa A. Wald of the U.S. Geological Survey. “But as time passes, the frequency and the magnitude generally decrease.”

Despite the scare it threw into thousands, the quake also produced its share of light moments.

Jolt Started Clock

Jackie Morrow, a graphic designer at UCLA, said the swaying started her grandmother’s clock, which had remained inactive since 1981.

“The jolt forced the pendulum so far that it started up again,” she said. “It was kind of bizarre to look at the clock and see it moving.”

The chime was too loud, she added, so she removed the pendulum and went back to sleep.

Although the quake was centered offshore, boaters could not detect anything but the gentle rise of the tide.

“I didn’t feel anything,” said Capt. Cyrus Antia of the Bandak, a 738-foot Norwegian cargo vessel anchored in Long Beach Harbor. “What time was it?”

THE QUAKE WHEN: 10:54 p.m. Wednesday

EPICENTER: About 8 miles south of Malibu in Santa Monica Bay.

MAGNITUDE: 5.0, reported as a sharp jolt near the coast and a rolling motion inland.

BREADTH: Quake was felt from northern San Diego County to Santa Barbara, from the coast to San Bernardino.

DAMAGE: Several minor injuries, several thousand dollars worth, including stores damaged in Malibu and in Santa Monica. Temporary power shortages.

AFTERSHOCKS: Several dozen, the largest registering a 3.7 magnitude.

Times staff writers Dave Ferrell, Judy Pasternak and Nieson Himmel contributed to this article.