Southern California quake shakes Malibu and jolts celebrity reactions

On Thursday, Southern California experienced a 4.7-magnitude earthquake. The tremors were felt throughout the region, with the epicentre located 4 miles north of Malibu, 7 miles below the Earth's surface, as the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The earthquake's effects reached Orange County, located 45 miles from the epicentre.

This is yet another seismic event in the area. Seismologist Lucy Jones from the California Institute of Technology, quoted by AP, explained that this is a typical earthquake for Southern California.

The epicentre of the tremors was 4 miles north of Malibu, and the source was 7 miles below the Earth's surface. The tremors were felt within a radius of 45 miles, including in Orange County. Residents of Malibu reported boulders falling onto roads, and in Santa Monica, the wooden pier from 1909 shook.

Posts from people who experienced the tremors appeared on social media. Among them were comments from celebrities describing their reactions.

That #Earthquake was scary – wrote celebrity Paris Hilton on platform X, who was awakened by the tremors.

Other people, including Khloe Kardashian, also shared their experiences.

Damn that was a big one - wrote Khloe Kardashian.

Despite the strength of the tremors, no serious injuries or major damage have been reported thus far. After the main earthquake, several smaller aftershocks were recorded, which is a common phenomenon in this region.

It is worth mentioning that California has experienced several dozen earthquakes of similar magnitude in 2023. In August, tremors with a magnitude of 4.4 were felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, and in February, Malibu experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6.

Lucy Jones pointed out that while this figure is higher than the typical eight to ten per year seen in recent decades, it's still premature to determine if the rise in activity holds statistical significance.

Geophysicist Morgan Page from the USGS told the Los Angeles Times that there is "a one-in-20 chance" that Thursday's earthquake will be followed by a secondary tremor with a magnitude of 4.7 or higher.

The seismic events in California coincided with three large fires which raged east of Los Angeles. The heatwave that hit the region further worsened the situation. The fires destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of residents to evacuate.