California Earthquake 10/20

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Strong shallow earthquake in Central California (near King City and Greenfield)

Last update: October 21, 2012 at 3:48 pm by By

Earthquake overview : 5 minutes to midnight a strong shallow earthquake struck at close distance from King City, California. The earthquake was felt in a wide area.

Update 15:46 UTC : So far the area has been hit  by 5 aftershoks ranging from M2.5 to M3.5

Update 15:30 UTC : Until now, good news, as we have heard nothing about damages or injuries.

Update :  – The population in this region resides in structures that are highly resistant to earthquake shaking, though some vulnerable structures exist.
– Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides and liquefaction that might have contributed to losses

Update : The people living in King City and Greenfield are expected to have felt a moderate shaking or MMI V
29000 people will have felt a moderate shaking
194000 people a light MMI IV shaking
1.73 million people a weak to very weak shaking

Update : There are NO reports of damage

Update : The epicenter has been set at 26 km from King City, the closest significant community. The area is mainly a wilderness area.

Update : Epicenter below a wilderness area near State route 198. Closest community King City (based on preliminary data)
The earthquake occurred at 11:55 local time.

Shaking map courtesy USGS

A rather strong earthquake just occurred 60 km east of Monterey, California
Closest cities Soledad and Coalinga. In a broader view in between Monterey and Fresno, California
The preliminary Magnitude of M5.5 has been weakened to M5.1. Normally a M5.3 in California at a depth of 9.4 km may only lead to minor damage like fallen objects, cracks in walls, etc.
This is the strongest earthquake in many months in this part of California.

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : M5.3
UTC Time : 2012-10-21 06:55:09 UTC
Local time at epicenter : 2012-10-20 23:55:09 UTC-07:00 at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 9.4 km
Geo-location(s) :
26km (16mi) ENE of King City, California
34km (21mi) E of Greenfield, California
48km (30mi) WNW of Coalinga, California

from:   http://earthquake-report.com/2012/10/21/strong-shallow-earthquake-in-central-california-near-king-city-and-greenfield/