4.5 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Pasadena, No Significant Damage Reported

Residents in Pasadena and across Southern California were checking their homes and apartments Saturday morning for any damage caused by a magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck two miles south of Rosemead and was felt across a large portion of the region, including Orange County.

Famed seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones described the earthquake as a “pretty good jolt here in Pasadena.”

She noted it occurred in almost the same location as the magnitude 5.9 Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987.

“Just like in ’87, the earthquake is quite deep … it’s possibly on the same fault,” Jones told NBC4 early Saturday morning.

She later tweeted this quake “is not considered an aftershock (to the Whittier Narrows quake) because the aftershocks died off completely in less than two years.”

A pair of aftershocks, magnitudes 2.1 and 1.6, struck within 10 minutes of Friday’s quake, Jones said.

She said there is about a 5% chance this was a foreshock to a bigger earthquake.

Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian said the city suffered no known damage, but was definitely felt.

But she added that “as people wake up, businesses open — and with daylight — we may see or hear of damage.”

Derderian said the time to prepare for a significant earthquake is now, and urged residents to take action now.

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