An earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale hit California on Tuesday, precipitating several aftershocks but no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake struck early morning local time in Southern California at a depth of about 3.5 miles, seismologist Amy Vaughn of the U.S. Geological Survey told reporters. About three minutes later, a magnitude-3.0 quake hit the same spot, followed by a magnitude-2.7 a few miles to the north. The area has been hit by more than four dozen small earthquakes since the weekend, prompting scrutiny from scientists because it is near a section of the so-called San Andreas Fault – a fault in the tectonic plate coverage beneath the earth – that has not been active in over 300 years. Scientists fear that a rupture on the southern San Andreas fault line could cause a devastating earthquake resulting in hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars of damage.
