In the past 24 hours, California has experienced intense seismic activity, recording 235 earthquakes, including a significant 7.0-magnitude earthquake. This earthquake swarm, a series of tremors in a short time, raises concerns about more significant seismic events and potential tsunamis, especially near coastal areas. Washington residents wonder if the earthquake in California will affect them in any way and if the tsunami warning should be of concern to them. Here’s what we know.
Recent Seismic Activity in California
The earthquake swarm consisted of:
- One quake above magnitude 7.0 (major)
- Six quakes between magnitudes 4.0 and 5.0
- 27 quakes between magnitudes 3.0 and 4.0
- 32 quakes between magnitudes 2.0 and 3.0
- 169 quakes below magnitude 2.0, too small to be felt.
Although many of these tremors are minor, the 7.0-magnitude quake is significant, as swarms can indicate stress building along fault lines, possibly leading to larger quakes. Earthquakes in coastal regions also raise the risk of tsunamis, which underwater seismic events can trigger.