On January 17, 1994, the ground under Los Angeles violently shook as a magnitude 6.7 earthquake centered in the San Fernando Valley hit the region.

Damage was catastrophic as tens of thousands of buildings cracked or collapsed entirely. Freeways buckled and at least 57 people lost their lives in the immediate aftermath of what became known as the Northridge Earthquake.

At the time, L.A. hadn’t experienced an earthquake of that magnitude in 23 years, and it has now been 30 years since the Northridge quake.

Does this mean Southern California is overdue for another major earthquake?

The U.S. Geological Survey says the probability of a magnitude 6.7 quake hitting the L.A. area again within 30 years is 60%. There’s a 46% chance of a magnitude 7.0 and a 31% probability of a magnitude 7.5, USGS says.

So the likelihood of another Northridge-sized quake happening in the coming decades is, unfortunately, strong.

The 1994 earthquake occurred along a small, previously undiscovered fault. The greater concern, says world-renowned seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones, is the 800-mile-long San Andreas Fault, which has already been responsible for many of California's largest quakes.

“[Northridge] wasn’t ‘The Big One,’” Jones recently told KTLA 5 News anchor Frank Buckley. “When the San Andreas [Fault] goes, we're going get that level of shaking instead of over just the San Fernando Valley … It will be a ten, 20, 50 times larger area that will receive the strongest level of shaking. That's the difference with a bigger earthquake is a longer fault.”

Both the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and 1989's Loma Prieta quake occurred along the San Andreas Fault and had devastating impacts on the Bay Area.

In Southern California, where it terminates at the Salton Sea, experts say the San Andreas Fault produces quakes at an interval of roughly every 150 years – only there hasn’t been one in at least 300 years.

Despite the gap, Dr. Jones doesn’t believe this means there is imminent danger.

“We have a much better understanding of the physics of earthquake faults today,” she said. “It's a much more random process over time. If we went 10,000 years without an earthquake then yes, we'd have to have one. But at just twice the average [of 300 years], that's just the random distribution that we see.”

Dr. Jones says Southern California is better prepared for a large earthquake today than 1994 due to seismic retrofitting and improvements in building and road construction. If or when “The Big One” occurs, she says most people will survive.

Her greater concern is the economic and social fallout.

“We have seen communities really destroyed by these types of disasters. People leave and go elsewhere ... Whether our community comes out on the other end okay is much more debatable.”

"Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake, which jolted the greater LA area awake at 4:31am on 17 January 1994," the USGS posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The Shake Movie imagery shows how the massive quake spread across the Southland, ultimately being felt more than 2,000 miles away.

The USGS recently asked people who felt the Northridge quake to report their experience.

KTLA covered the chaotic scene live with reporters on the ground and in the studio.

The epicenter of the 1994 quake was located in the San Fernando Valley 9 miles beneath the Los Angeles neighborhood of Northridge. 

Fifty-seven people lost their lives and property damage was estimated between $13 billion and $50 billion.

The catastrophic quake struck just seconds before 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994.

KTLA's Annie Rose Ramos recalls, as a child, running downstairs with her family after the quake struck.

“Part of our kitchen wall had actually caved in,” she said. Fortunately, Annie Rose says her family was fine but many others were not as fortunate.

57 people were killed and thousands more were injured.

KTLA covered the chaotic scene with reporters on the ground and in the studio.

“Debris in the street. People out on the street. Reports of a train derailing. Looting along Sunset Boulevard. There are fires,” KTLA’s Eric Spillman reported in the wake of the devastation.

People were left trapped in cars while homes and apartment buildings collapsed. Power went out for many and for a while, water was no longer deemed drinkable.

Property damage estimates from the massive earthquake range between $13 billion and $50 billion.

Many residents now wonder whether Northridge would be more prepared if the quake were to strike today.

Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones spoke about that during a recent episode of Frank Buckley Interviews.

“There will be much fewer collapsed apartment buildings,” Dr. Jones said. “But the thing is it won’t be that location. It’s going to be somewhere else.”

A U.S. Geological Survey Shake Movie posted on X, formerly Twitter Wednesday morning indicated that shaking was felt more than 2,000 miles from the quake's epicenter.

The quake's epicenter, located in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, delivered a potent shockwave that caused catastrophic damage and claimed dozens of lives.

The shaking lasted 10-20 seconds. Freeway overpasses and bridges crumbled, while buildings, particularly those in the San Fernando Valley, suffered extensive structural damage.

Human casualties were substantial with 57 lives lost and over 8,700 reported injuries. The collapse of buildings and bridges contributed significantly to the human toll.

Damage estimates ranged from $13 billion to $50 billion, and the economic toll extended even further.

The emergency response was swift with coordinated efforts from local, state, and federal agencies conducting search and rescue operations. The recovery phase focused on rebuilding damaged infrastructure and implementing stringent building codes to bolster seismic resilience.

Wednesday, Jan. 17, marks 30 years since a magnitude 6.7 earthquake rattled Los Angeles.

The quake, caused by a sudden rupture of a previously undocumented blind thrust fault, damaged the Santa Monica Freeway, started almost 500 fires, killed 57 people, and damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes.

World-renowned seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones recently sat down with KTLA 5 Morning News anchor Frank Buckley to discuss the 30th anniversary on Frank Buckley Interviews.

When asked about our ability to survive another 6.7 magnitude earthquake if it were to hit Northridge today, Jones said, "There will be much fewer collapsed apartment buildings. We lost 50,000 housing units in Los Angeles in Northridge. I don't think it's going to happen. The thing is, it won't be that location. It'll be somewhere else." 

We also asked Dr. Jones why scientists can't predict when "the big one" will hit, even with modern warning systems and advancements.

"The problem is that we think [earthquakes] begin and end in different ways. A lot of them get started all the time, but which one grows into a 'big one' is not connected to how it starts ... Prediction as you're asking for, it is impossible."

Jones has dedicated her career to educating Californians on how to be prepared for earthquakes. But, is there anything she would change when it comes to preparation?

"We are intentionally building buildings that will be a complete financial loss after an earthquake, and uninhabitable," she said, adding that a lot of new high rises in downtown Los Angeles meet "life safety only" standards, meaning they aren't guaranteed to stand after an earthquake.

Among them: Ernesto and Jeanie Moreira of North Fontana.

The couple shared security camera footage from inside their living room which recorded the quake shaking their Christmas tree, holiday decorations and furniture – and frightening their dog, Coco.

“He was so scared,” Ernesto told KTLA.

North Fontana is only about two miles from the quake’s epicenter in the San Gabriel Mountains, so the Moreira’s home likely bore the full brunt of its force.

No damage was reported to their home, or any other property across the Los Angeles area, and no injuries were reported, officials said.

The temblor, which struck at 10:55 a.m. local time, sent shockwaves across Southern California and was felt not only by residents in the immediate vicinity of Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, but also as far away as Ventura County and San Diego, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at 10:55 a.m. with an epicenter 5.5 miles under Lytle Creek, just north of Rancho Cucamonga, in the San Gabriel Mountains.

The temblor had a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 but was downgraded to 4.1 and, eventually, the Geological Survey determined it was a 4.2.

The Los Angeles Fire Department quickly stated that it was in "normal operating mode" with no reports of injuries, structure or infrastructure damage within the city.

An interactive USGS map shows shockwaves extended across Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange and San Diego counties.

"I just heard a loud boom and the whole building kind of shook [and] all the windows," recalled Emmanuel Ruiz, who was working at a bus warehouse in Rancho Cucamonga when the quake struck.

"My wife and I were sitting in the front of the room and all of the sudden... Bam! It hit," Bob Dahlstein, another Rancho Cucamonga resident, told KTLA.

Ernesto and Jeanie Moreira captured video of the quake shaking their living room in North Fontana and spooking their dog, Coco.

“He was so scared,” Ernesto told KTLA.

Dr. Lucy Jones, SoCal's preeminent seismologist, said the earthquake occurred where the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults intersect, which has been the site of previous quakes.

"In 1970, there was a [magnitude] 5.2 with a 4.0 foreshock in close to the same location," Jones tweeted.

Southern California averages about ten earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 or greater every year, so Jones says Friday's temblor is no cause for alarm.

"We had a 4.1 [quake] on New Year’s Day down by Palos Verdes and then this 4.2. But with a long-term average of about once a month, having two within a week is just normal variability," she told KTLA.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also reassured residents that the quake, while alarming, did not cause damage, and she also took the opportunity to encourage residents to be prepared.

"This is a reminder that earthquakes can happen at any time. Make a plan to prepare for emergencies at http://ReadyLA.org," the mayor tweeted.

Tens of thousands of earthquakes are recorded in California each year; however, the vast majority of them are extremely minor. Only several hundred are stronger than magnitude 3.0, and only about 15 to 20 are greater than magnitude 4.0, according to the USGS. 

A 3.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Orange County area on Friday night. 

The quake was reported at around 9:52 p.m. according to the United States Geological Survey.

The epicenter of the quake was located around 1.8 miles southeast of Huntington Beach in a populated part of town.

The temblor was measured at a depth of approximately 7.7 miles, according to the USGS.

No injuries or structural damage were immediately reported.

Hundreds of earthquakes are recorded in California each year. Most are extremely minor, however, dozens measure over 3.0 magnitude. According to the California Department of Conservation, the strongest quake ever recorded in the Golden State measured 7.9 magnitude and struck Fort Tejon on Jan. 9, 1857.

KTLA's interactive map to track the latest earthquakes in Southern California can be found here.

Anyone who may have experienced shaking in their area can fill out the USGS Felt Report online.