Quakebot sez…3.7 tremor rocks Temecula; 3.6 tremor hits Ramona two days later

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Posted By: The Grapevine December 5, 2020

A few people felt it. Other people didn’t. Some said L.A. earthquakes have felt stronger in Wine Country. Some said they and their cats were scared for an hour after feeling the tremor.

The tie-breaking quote, however, came from Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the U.S. Geological Survey. A magnitude 3.7 earthquake was reported Friday at 9:41 p.m. Pacific time eight miles from Temecula, according to the big Q-B.

The earthquake occurred 13 miles from French Valley, Calif., 14 miles from Fallbrook, 14 miles from Murrieta and 16 miles from Escondido.

As well, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported Sunday at 7:17 a.m. 12 miles from Ramona, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake occurred 17 miles from San Diego, 20 miles from Escondido, Calif., and 22 miles from Poway. The tremor could be felt in parts of San Diego County like Escondido, where one local said he had felt his entire house shake. It was also felt in Fallbrook, Rancho Bernardo, San Marcos, Poway, Kearny Mesa, Santee, and other parts of the county.

In the past 10 days, there have been four earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 3.6 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.

Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.

Temecula has had: (M1.5 or greater)

  • 5 earthquakes in the past 24 hours
  • 16 earthquakes in the past 7 days
  • 55 earthquakes in the past 30 days
  • 941 earthquakes in the past 365 days

The largest earthquake in Temecula:

#Earthquake and #Temecula

Earthquake-related hashtags trended on Twitter — of course — along with Southern California as social media fans did their thing with memes and sometimes rude or poignant comments.

What is Quakebot?

Quakebot is a software application developed by The Los Angeles Times to report the latest earthquakes as fast as possible. The computer program reviews earthquake notices from the U.S. Geological Survey and, if they meet certain criteria, automatically generates a draft article.

Quakebot relies on earthquake sensors monitored by the USGS. When the government agency detects an earthquake with a magnitude at or above 1.0, its computer systems send out a notice. Quakebot reviews those notices and goes from there.

Multiple types of earthquakes that warrant generating a post. Each is associated with a specific geographic area and an associated magnitude requirement.

Is Quakebot ever wrong?

The information published by Quakebot is drawn from scientific measurements made by the USGS. Those readings are usually, but not always, completely accurate. For instance, it is routine for the agency to make minor revisions to the initial estimate of an earthquake’s magnitude or location after reviewing more data. The Quakebot system monitors these changes and passes them along.

On rare occasions, the USGS sensors will misidentify an earthquake. In 2015, malfunctions in the government systems led to three false alarms. In one case, a magnitude 6.7 quake struck off the coast of Alaska. When its waves reached sensors operated in California, they were mistakenly interpreted as a 5.1 temblor near the Oregon border. The USGS has worked to prevent these mistakes, but they can still occur.

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