The earthquake on Monday morning caught many families in Julian off guard, even after a smaller earthquake in the area on Sunday. NBC 7’s Dave Summers shows us what happened when the Earth moved.
An earthquake struck Julian Monday morning and was felt across San Diego County, including parts of Los Angeles and Tijuana.
According to the United States Geological Survey, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded around 10 a.m., 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles just south of Julian with a depth of 8 miles. USGS reported more than a half dozen small aftershocks with a magnitude 2.5 or more.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography provided a seismic wavefield animation of the earthquake.
Yeah, we felt it, too.
— Scripps Institution of Oceanography (@Scripps_Ocean) April 14, 2025
Today's #earthquake occurred near the Elsinore Fault Zone and reached a magnitude of 5.2, according to scientists with @IGPP. You can view the seismic wavefield animation by Scripps Oceanography PhD candidate @JohnRekoske. pic.twitter.com/GEjRqlEeed
Monday's earthquake follows a 3.5-magnitude temblor in the same area on Sunday afternoon.
Experts say the fault that caused Monday's quake is part of a well-known fault line called the Elsinore Fault.
"After the earthquake, we're going to have smaller and smaller earthquakes are going to occur, and this tail can last for days, weeks, sometimes even months. For very large earthquakes that can last years," Dr. Rafael Almeida, an assistant professor at San Diego State University, told NBC 7.
No damage was reported in the county, but numerous transportation services like the Metropolitan Transit Service, COASTER, Breeze and the Pacific Surliner were impacted for the remainder of the day.
The earthquake did cause a small rockslide on State Route 76 east of E Grade Road.
Shaking was felt at the NBC 7 building in Kearny Mesa and across the county. Reporter Joe Little saw construction crews running off a worksite following the earthquake alert. At the Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa, reporter Nicole Gomez felt her vehicle shake vigorously. Dozens of car alarms went off inside the parking garage.
Earthquake
NBC 7 spoke with workers downtown, and their reactions ranged from surprise to "just another day in the office," albeit with some shaking.
"Being a native Californian, I haven’t felt one this large in a while, but it was not scary or anything like that," said Sandy Prince, who works downtown.
Alice Dufresn doesn't usually work on Mondays, but she was in the office during the earthquake.
"They pulled me out of retirement," Dufresn said. "I only work Tuesday through Friday, five hours a day, but I came in to train Sandy today, and then there was an earthquake, so I was like, 'Oh, please.'"
To Ashley Pinnick and her family, Monday’s 5.2-magnitude earthquake had a sound and feel like she’d never experienced.
"It sounds like a rumbling in the Earth. It sounds like the Earth is upset. That's what it sounds like," Pinnick said.
A security camera captured Pinnick's motherly instinct when her Ramona home began to shake. She grabbed her 9-month-old son Michael and ran straight out the front door.
On closer examination, you can see the broken ceiling plaster falling. She thought the ceiling was collapsing. After what seemed longer but really lasted about 30 seconds, the ceiling remained intact but not whole.
