A light shake
Tuesday’s 5.4-magnitude rumble was only a small taste of The Big One
By Kristy Lucero 07/31/2008
A brief temblor that rolled through Pasadena just before lunchtime Tuesday certainly felt dramatic, but fortunately seemed to have rattled more nerves than foundations.
The 5.4-magnitude earthquake that hit at 11:41 a.m. lasted only a few seconds but was felt as far away as Las Vegas, according to Caltech and US Geological Survey scientists, who placed the quake’s epicenter two miles southwest of Chino Hills.
No injuries or damages were immediately reported, but telephone service was interrupted for some users for as much as half an hour.
The quake is the first since completion of the $118 million seismic retrofit of Pasadena City Hall, which included the installation of 80 shock-absorbing base isolators at its foundation to allow the building to sway rather than shake.
The building performed as expected, according to Interim City Manager Bernard Melekian. “I was standing on [City Hall’s] east bridge watching the dome sway back and forth,” he said.
Compared to any large quake that could hit California in the not-so-distant future, Tuesday’s quake was small — think of it as “a drill for the big one,” said Caltech seismologist Kate Hutton.
City Reporter André Coleman contributed to this report. Read an expanded version online at pasadenaweekly.com.
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