A magnitude 3.3 earthquake hit along the San Andreas fault on Sunday, Jan. 20
at about 5:25 p.m. PST. The epicenter was tracked by the U.S. Geologic Survey
(USGS) report to be about 19 miles west southwest of the community of Pine
Mountain, near Cuyama.

Data about the depth of the rupture was initially unclear, termed “poorly
constrained” in the report, but has now been updated to show a depth of 8.3
miles.

A look at the USGS map shows a cluster of recent small quakes along the San
Andreas fault, where the Pacific tectonic plate is sliding under the North
American tectonic plate.

The Mountain Communities are located at “the bend” which is also referred to
as “an elbow” in the fault, which will resist mild adjustments, but is likely to
let loose with a major release of kinetic energy when it ruptures from
accumulated forces.

Residents of the region are advised to prepare.

The Mountain Enterprise will run a series of articles about
preparedness, beginning next week.

This is part of the January 25, 2013 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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