LOS ANGELES, CA (July 29, 2008) \u2013 \u201cIt was a relatively small earthquake and I have not heard anything from our churches yet,\u201d reports Pacific Southwest Conference Associate Superintendent Gregory Yee of today\u2019s 5.4 magnitude earthquake that struck east of Los Angeles.
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\nThe quake’s epicenter was about two miles southwest of Chino Hills and about five miles southeast of Diamond Bar, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Chino Hills is about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
The center was about 7.6 miles deep, reports CNN News. \u201cIn general, earthquakes centered closer to the Earth’s surface produce stronger shaking and can cause more damage than those further underground,\u201d the CNN report notes. A 5.8 magnitude quake is considered moderate, which can cause slight damage to buildings and others structures.<\/p>\n
\u201cVillage Covenant in Azusa that is near the epicenter said that phones were down for about 20 minutes,\u201d Yee notes. \u201cThat’s been the biggest issue as I’ve called down to churches. The phone networks are overloaded and it took me a few tries before I got through.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the USGS archives, today\u2019s quake is the biggest California earthquake since September 28, 2004, when a 6.0 quake was recorded south of Parkfield, which is about 70 miles northwest of Bakersfield.<\/p>\n
More information will be posted to this online Covenant News Service report as it becomes available.<\/p>\n