<p>Be glad you couldn't feel it in LA. It was "only" a 5.2, but a 5.2 with an epicenter near LA would be devastating.</p>
<p>At the moment, I'm spending my time in the San Bernardino mountains... so yeah, I felt that. And the other ones around there, too. It's been crazy around here lately!</p>
<p>4 major earthquakes in a week... scary.</p>
<p>Anyone who survived the Northridge quake pretty much knows what a real quake is like. So this one that just happened was actually fun.</p>
<p>"How did UCLA stand up in the 94 Northridge quake? As I remember the school did suffer some damage, but nothing anywhere near as extensive as say Cal State Northridge."</p>
<p>they still haven't finished rebuilding kinsey hall (1 of the 4 buildings on royce quad) cuz it was so damaged by the northridge earthquake. or maybe they're just procrastinating like usual hehe. </p>
<p>"It was "only" a 5.2, but a 5.2 with an epicenter near LA would be devastating."</p>
<p>there was that one prediction that was published in the LA Times about the "big one" that if it hit during the daytime, los angeles would be screwed over big time.</p>
<p>"5.2 with an epicenter near LA would be devastating."</p>
<p>You know I don't really think it would be. LA has been hit with enough quakes that it is pretty set for quakes. Also 5.2 is large (it would get me out of bed!) but it's not a huge quake. I've lived just north of LA for 20 years now, I can only think of a handful of 5.0+ quakes that were centered anywhere near Los Angeles. Especially if you don't include all of the big aftershocks we got after Northridge, I'm not sure if I can thjink of more then 1 or 2 5.0+ quakes in LA.</p>
<p>The Northridge earthquake made the basement flooring in Kinsey Hall somewhat unlevel; you could get a tennis ball, set it gently on the ground, and it would roll halfway down the hall from the south exit.</p>
<p>What does it mean that the dorms are seismatically strengthened? I saw a picture of Hedrick Hall, and it doesn't look like it could survive a 7.0+ quake to me.</p>
<p>Basically it means they added bracing to it... A lot of buildings got a so-called seismic makeover following 1994.</p>
<p>A 5.2 wouldn't destroy Los Angeles or anything, but you can bet it would cause a lot of damage and probably a few deaths. Being seismically sound doesn't mean being immune to earthquake damage if it's under X.0. </p>
<p>Anyway, I'm aware many earthquakes don't occur in L.A. itself. I just said that if it did, it would cause a lot of problems. Just trying to put a 5.2 in perspective -- it's nice to say 'oh, that's not much' when it's in the desert....</p>