@Poodlepet2, the earthquake in LA is nothing to mention at 3.6. It would certainly have been feel-able to local residents living near the epicenter, but a roll over and go back to sleep kind. Were I still in LA I would undoubtedly have felt it as I was close to Westwood. A bottle or glass or two might have rolled off a shelf.
It was felt in West LA and in The Valley, because the epicenter was halfway between geographically, in the hills.
What people don't realize is that it's not just the magnitude number that is an indicator of how much we might or might not feel from an earthquake.
These things all affect how much you feel it:
1) The building you're in, or what you're doing. Upstairs feels more, old buildings feel more. Walking on the street, sitting at a cafe - maybe, maybe not. Driving your car? Most likely you won't feel a thing unless it's a large quake or you're sitting at a red light.
2) How "deep" was it. The deeper the quake the less you'll feel. The farther/deeper offshore it is, the less it will be felt on land.
3) How close to the epicenter you are.
4) Whether it's a roller or a shaker, the ground moves differently.
5) What the ground under your dwelling consists of geologically. Many areas of SoCal, mostly those adjacent to water, have soil liquefaction during an earthquake. You will feel quakes more and dwellings go buh-byee much more during a severe/strong quake in such areas.
From Science Daily:
"Earthquake liquefaction, often referred to simply as liquefaction, is the process by which saturated, unconsolidated soil or sand is converted into a suspension during an earthquake. The effect on structures and buildings can be devastating, and is a major contributor to urban seismic risk."
Yes, it's possible to feel a "little" quake fairly strongly compared to others if you live practically on top of it.
When I lived in West LA, a few years ago there was a several week mini-swarm of small quakes - in Westwood, off-shore Santa Monica, off-shore Venice, Pacific Palisades - and I felt them all proportionately more than someone who lived in the South Bay, who probably didn't feel them at all. I lived upstairs in an old building, some of the quakes were shallow, and most were within 5 miles or less - all contributing to why I felt them. Not that they frightened me unduly, but they did wake or startle me briefly.
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