Californians are familiar with the shaking beneath their feet, the momentary rattling of cabinetry or knick-knacks on the shelves.
Just a week ago, the state experienced a 5.2-magnitude earthquake centered near Lamont, a city outside of Bakersfield. More than 277 aftershocks were recorded as of the following day, USA TODAY reported .
Six days later, a 4.4-magnitude quake centered near Los Angeles occurred.
And quakes continued after Monday’s Southern California tremor, as recorded by the Southern California Earthquake Data Center , all less than a magnitude 3 — below 2.5 are generally not felt .
These earthquakes have left some Californians concerned about the frequency. Here’s what to know.
Why are there so many earthquakes right now?
California isn’t experiencing more earthquakes than the normal number, said Mark Benthien, the director for public education and preparedness with the Statewide California Earthquake Center, in an email to the Desert Sun.
“As earthquakes of this (minor) size are essentially random, sometimes they randomly happen close in time or location to each other, and sometimes randomly far apart with longer gaps,” he said.