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October 2, 2012 (Pine Valley) – An earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale struck at 1:28 a.m., jolting some East County residents awake. The quake was centered 22 miles east of Pine Valley and 10 miles northwest of Ocotillo.
“Kind of unnerving,” said videographer Paul Kruze, a Rancho San Diego resident. The USGS classifies the quake as "moderate" which can include light damage.
Many people are not aware that while major quakes have been rare in our region in recent times, historically many major quakes have occurred.
According to the San Diego Shakeout site, "...it is possible for a large earthquake on the Elsinore or San Jacinto faults, and even the San Andreas, to cause much stronger shaking in San Diego county than has recently been experienced, with damage greatest in North and East County areas. Escondido, Poway, Julian and many other communities are very close to these faults."
A map at http://www.shakeout.org/images/San_Diego_epicenters_map.jpg shows that at least six quakes measuring 6.0 or higher had epicenters in San Diego County in the 1800s including a 6.1 centered in East County in 1894, and likely more in the centuries before European settlers arrived here. Many major quakes also struck just outside County lines that would have been felt in our area.
Did you feel it? You can report it to the USGS at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/dyfi/
Did you have damage? If so contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org
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