10 Aftershocks Hit West Valley in 24 Hours

In case you needed a reminder of jittery times past, the western San Fernando Valley got hit with 10 small aftershocks in just 24 hours, beginning Thursday night.

The rash of shakers started at 9:41 p.m. Thursday when a magnitude 3.1 struck three miles west-northwest of Canoga Park, according to Caltech officials. A magnitude 3.5--the biggest of the group--followed at 11:56 p.m. It was centered two miles south-southwest of Simi Valley.

On Friday morning, a 2.9-magnitude quake hit at 9:39 a.m., followed by an early afternoon pair each registering 2.6 at 12:26 and 12:47 p.m.

The afternoon was rounded out by a 2.9 at 3:46, a 2.8 at 3:50, a 2.6 at 3:58, a 2.5 at 4:15 and a 2.6 at 4:31.

As they have many times in the past, seismologists said this aftershock activity is normal.

“You get a lot of earthquakes after a big quake. The bigger the earthquake, the more aftershocks,” a Caltech spokeswoman said, “and there will probably be a lot more in the immediate future.”

Seismologists said there have been more than 8,700 aftershocks of the Jan. 17 earthquake.