Earthquake hits Santa Clara River Valley, strong jolt felt in Santa Paula

March 01, 2006
Santa Paula News

Although small, the earthquake that hit the Santa Clara River Valley had quite a kick; but there were no damages or injuries reported from the Friday shaker.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesAlthough small, the earthquake that hit the Santa Clara River Valley had quite a kick; but there were no damages or injuries reported from the Friday shaker. The magnitude-3.1 temblor hit shortly before noon and was centered nine miles northwest of Fillmore in an area close to Santa Paula, according to a preliminary report by the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena.The 11:58 p.m. quake, felt as a single jolt in Santa Paula, occurred near the San Cayetano Fault at a depth of 8.7 miles, according to a seismologist of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The reading on the earthquake’s location was 34.429N and 119.064W, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Website.
The San Cayetano Fault is one of the two major faults in the river valley, and is located north of Santa Paula and Fillmore. In one area, the fault dips and almost meets the Oak Ridge Fault that runs along the south side of the Santa Clara River. The two faults have slowly been moving closer together for years, a situation closely studied by seismologists.The Santa Clara River Valley has been the focus of much fault activity: the most notable event in modern times was the 1994 Northridge earthquake that caused about $250 million in damage in Fillmore. A strong aftershock of the 6.7-magnitude Northridge earthquake caused little damage in Santa Paula, about nine miles away, when it hit two days after the quake.The San Cayetano Fault is capable of producing earthquakes of magnitude-6.5 or magnitude-7, according to seismologists. In recent years Fillmore has been the scene of minor earthquake swarms, multiple events that caused small temblors within a tight timeframe, but the February 24 earthquake was the first noticeable seismic activity in more than a year.



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