Long Beach Jolted Awake by Shallow 3.2 Magnitude Earthquake

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck early Friday morning, with its epicenter located 2.9 kilometers north of Long Beach, California. The tremor occurred at a shallow depth of 12.3 kilometers, at 12:44 a.m. local time. Over 70 residents across Southern California reported feeling the shaking.

Long Beach experienced the most significant shaking, with 20 reports from residents. Signal Hill also registered 10 reports. The intensity of the shaking varied by location, with those closer to the epicenter describing light to moderate jolts lasting a few seconds. Some residents compared the sensation to a vehicle hitting their building or a rolling motion.

Authorities confirmed no injuries or significant structural damage resulted from the earthquake. The ShakeAlert early warning system did not issue a notification due to the quake's relatively small magnitude and shallow depth. This event serves as a reminder of Southern California's location on active fault lines, with the potential for larger seismic activity.

The region experiences frequent seismic activity. Since 1900, the area has seen seven earthquakes above magnitude 6. The largest recent earthquake in the broader region was a 7.1 magnitude quake in July 2019. On average, about 2,400 earthquakes occur within 100 kilometers of the epicenter annually.