Southern California experienced a pair of preliminary 3.0 magnitude earthquakes on Tuesday evening, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The first quake hit at 9:37 p.m., followed closely by another at 9:40 p.m., both striking just 0.4 miles west of Bell in Los Angeles County.
Fortunately, there have been no immediate reports of damage caused by these seismic events. While California records tens of thousands of earthquakes annually, the vast majority of them are of negligible intensity. Only a few hundred register at a magnitude greater than 3.0, with an even smaller number, approximately 15 to 20, reaching a magnitude of 4.0 or higher, as stated by the USGS.
Among the continental United States, California stands second in the frequency of recorded earthquakes, with Alaska topping the list. The California Department of Conservation reveals that the most potent earthquake ever documented in the Golden State measured a staggering 7.9 magnitude, striking Fort Tejon on January 9, 1857.
