Getty A morning view of downtown Los Angeles with the 101 freeway in the foreground, January 1 from the Hollywood Bowl Overlook in Hollywood, California.
A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was felt in the Los Angeles area late Monday evening.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake could be felt at 11:20 p.m. four miles from Westwood, California. Th epicenter of the quake was west of Interstate 405 in the Santa Monica Mountains, The Los Angeles Times reported.
3.6 magnitude earthquake hits Westwood t.co/gk7AvVvKNd
There haven’t yet reports of any major damage or injuries from the quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey said brought “moderate shaking.”
A map showing the areas which felt the 3.6 earthquake.
Before Monday’s quake, the last one to hit the area was a 3.4 magnitude Saturday, with the epicenter being located 7 miles from Calipatria. On September 15, a devastating 8.2-magnitude earthquake brought destruction to southern Mexico. If the same thing were to occur in the same area as Monday’s quake, the damage would be catastrophic.
Unfortunately for Californians, an enormous earthquake is coming, though there’s no telling the exact location or when it will happen.
Scientists have long warned that a major quake will hit California because of its location along the San Andreas Fault. A 2013 U.S. Geological Survey study found a 7 percent probability that an 8.0-magnitude earthquake or greater will take place along the fault sometime within the next 30 years.
The last major earthquake to hit the Southern California region was in 1857, when one measuring 7.8 on the Richter Scale his the L.A. area. However, the area was a lot less populated back then, so if that same earthquake were to happen today, the damage would potentially be widespread.
With the biggest earthquake every undoubtedly on its way, according to scientists, Monday’s earthquake cause quite the stir. Many social media users reported feeling the shaking, but it was minor. But that didn’t stop them from freaking out and questioning if it’s finally time for the historic earthquake.
The seismic movement comes at a time when natural disasters have been ravaging much of the southeastern portion of the United States.
On August 25, Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Houston, Texas area. In the days that followed, many parts around the city experienced historic rainfall totals of over 40 inches in a three-day span. The rainfall led to catastrophic flooding across the area and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Harvey contributed toward the death of 82 people in the U.S.
A little over one week later, Hurricane Irma struck many areas in southern Florida. It made landfall as a historic Category 5 hurricane and was one of the most intense storms to come out of the Atlantic and make landfall in the U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The storm led to one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history, with close to 6 million people being placed under some type of evacuation orders. As of September 19, officials said Irma’s led to the deaths of at least 84 people.
Understandably so, those who felt the earthquake were a little startled, and they let it be known on social media. Here are some of the best memes and reactions to the 3.6 earthquake:
WOW LA #earthquake. WE WILL REBUILD.
You know you grew up in CA when you wait for the #earthquake to impress you before you’ll get out of bed to duck & cover.
Everybody in LA #earthquake
How did some people not feel that earthquake omg i got out of bed put pants on and mentally prepared to die so quick
https://twitter.com/rosasricky07/status/910027794855239686
I just felt the tiniest, cutest earthquake. It nudged my bed ever so slightly. Welp, death comes for us all.
Everyone in Los Angeles right now. #EARTHQUAKE
When you feel an #earthquake for two seconds and act like you just survived something
Listen Mother Nature please leave California alone, we have done nothing wrong, we didn’t vote for trump, let us live please 🙏🏻 #earthquake