Ground Shakes In OC As Seismic Mapping Trucks Roll In

ROSSMOOR (CBSLA) — People in Orange County may feel the ground shake over the coming weeks — but researchers warn it's not the "big one."

L.A. Seismic is conducting a year-long project to map what lies thousands of feet below the surface.

Rossmoor resident Tina Buono said she felt the shake in her quiet neighborhood.

"It felt like an earthquake ... it actually startled me," she said.

What she felt was a vibration created as L.A. Seismic rolled in to collect data to give to USGS and CalTech to more clearly understand fault lines in the area.

"We're creating a 3D seismic array of everything that's up to about 15,00 feet below the ground," L.A. Seismic's Tracey Farmer said.

Six-thousand sensors were placed underground as part of the project. As trucks roll through, they send acoustic waves into the earth, creating a 3D seismic map of the ground below.

"Once the censors have been collected, they are then downloaded and the USGS takes that information needed to define fault lines. CalTech will take the information they need to study earthquake behaviors," Farmer said.

The survey will be completed on February 14.

The company said that while it may be a minor disturbance for those who live here, it's all for a greater cause.

"Hopefully we are preventing danger," Farmer said.

Details about the seismic survey can be found here.