Earth Changes · Sep 13, 202690 Micro-Quakes Rattle South L.A. Along Newport-Inglewood Fault

KEMETIC MINDS
Extreme Earth Changes Watch — Daily Report — September 13, 2026

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The U.S. Geological Survey recorded 90 micro-earthquakes beneath South Los Angeles from Friday night into Saturday afternoon, the largest a magnitude 2.7, all clustered on the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone. The same weekend brought a 20-foot sinkhole in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, multiple ash eruptions at Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau, and a confirmed viral outbreak behind a mass fish die-off in South Africa.

• USGS recorded 90 micro-quakes around unincorporated Lennox and Westmont, magnitudes 1.0 to 2.7, from 8:05 p.m. Friday through 2:30 p.m. Saturday ^[1].
• The swarm clustered on the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone, where a 2017 study found ancient earthquakes may have reached magnitude 7.5 ^[1].
• A 20-foot sinkhole opened Saturday morning on Covington Avenue in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; a leaking pipe was a contributing factor (WFMZ, 2026).
• Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau erupted multiple times in September 2026, blanketing Jakarta with volcanic ash, while a lava video circulating online is falsely linked to it ^[2].
• South Africa confirmed its first detection of pilchard herpesvirus tied to a recorded mass sardine die-off, from Cape Town to Gqeberha ^[3].
• Repeated thunderstorms dropped 8 to 12 inches of rain on parts of southeast Missouri on July 10, 2026, triggering catastrophic flooding (MSN, 2026b).

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1. South Los Angeles: 90 Micro-Quakes Along the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone

The Los Angeles Times reported that the U.S. Geological Survey recorded 90 micro-earthquakes around unincorporated Lennox and Westmont, ranging from magnitude 1.0 to 2.7 ^[1].

The quakes clustered on the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone, a strike-slip fault that runs from Culver City to Newport Beach.

Residents felt it from Crenshaw to Gardena

People in Crenshaw, Huntington Park, Bell, West Adams, Mid-City, Gardena and other neighborhoods posted online that they felt the tremors ^[1].

The shaking was described as gentle. The swarm came about a week after a magnitude 3.2 earthquake hit the same fault zone near Compton.

Why this fault gets watched so closely

A 2017 study found that the Newport-Inglewood Fault could be more dangerous than previously believed, with evidence that ancient earthquakes there may have ranged up to magnitude 7.5 ^[1].

That shaking was strong enough, the study found, to sink a chunk of the Seal Beach coast multiple feet.

Does heavy rain change anything underground?

The USGS has written that it is unlikely seismic activity is affected by large amounts of rain, such as the storm that hit Los Angeles in early September.

It also noted that periods of heavy rain or drought could indirectly affect fault zones, pointing to a study suggesting that rates of micro-quakes may undergo small variations related to rainfall patterns ^[1].

The agency’s posted guidance is blunt on the main question: micro-quakes are not a predictor of larger earthquakes. Angelenos watching this fault now have two data points in two weeks — the magnitude 3.2 near Compton and this 90-quake swarm.

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2. Indonesia: Anak Krakatau Ash Reaches Jakarta, and a Video Gets Mislabeled

Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau erupted multiple times in September 2026, blanketing the capital Jakarta and nearby cities with volcanic ash ^[2].

A video showing lava spewing from a crater is circulating alongside that news and has been falsely linked to the Anak Krakatau eruption, according to MSN’s reporting ^[2].

The footage shows a Hawaii volcano, not Anak Krakatau.

Why the mix-up matters

Eruption footage travels faster than verification, and old clips of other volcanoes get attached to new events. The source does not state how long the September eruptions lasted, how far the ash traveled, or whether anyone was harmed.

What is confirmed is the ash itself, over Jakarta and nearby cities.

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3. Sinkholes: A 20-Foot Collapse in Bethlehem, a Slow Recovery in Phillipsburg

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

A 20-foot sinkhole opened Saturday morning in a neighborhood along Covington Avenue in Bethlehem, just feet from nearby homes (WFMZ, 2026).

Multiple agencies blocked off the road and worked to secure the area, WFMZ reported, reopening it about eight hours later. Officials determined a leaking pipe was a contributing factor.

The collapse hit close to home for Tim Fritz, a Bethlehem Fire Department member who lives in the neighborhood. He had already left for his shift when he was notified and turned around to check on his property.

“My house is still standing, and I hope that whatever kind of undermining was occurring didn’t impact the properties of both myself and my neighbors,” Fritz said (WFMZ, 2026).

Fritz said a neighbor had noticed a drop in water pressure about a week earlier. His advice to residents: notify the appropriate city agency if water pressure drops, water color changes, or something simply doesn’t seem right.

Phillipsburg: seven months later

Repair timelines can stretch far longer than a one-day road closure. Seven months after sinkhole damage in Phillipsburg, only 1 of 8 families has moved back into their homes, according to Lehighvalleylive.com ^[4].

Evacuations near a celebrity property

Separately, homes near a property belonging to Nicolas Cage were evacuated over a massive sinkhole, INQUIRER.net USA reported (INQUIRER.net, 2026). The source does not specify the location or the size of the collapse.

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4. South Africa: Pilchard Herpesvirus Linked to a Mass Fish Die-Off

An outbreak of pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) has been linked to a mass fish die-off along South Africa’s coast from Cape Town to Gqeberha, UA.NEWS reported, citing TimesLIVE ^[3].

Thousands of dead sardines and pilchards have washed ashore.

How the die-off unfolded

• The first fish deaths were recorded in July in Saldanha, St Helena Bay and Gansbaai.
• A second wave later affected Hobie and Pollock beaches in Gqeberha and spread in the direction of Namibia.

South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said this was the first confirmed detection of PHV in the country linked to a recorded mass sardine die-off ^[3].

Why a canned fish shortage is a household problem

South Africa was already facing a shortage of pilchards due to a significant reduction in available catches and global restrictions.

Canned pilchards are an important source of protein for low-income households and are included in the state school nutrition programme, which covers about 10 million pupils.

Mervyn Abrahams, coordinator of Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity, said the price of pilchards rose by 80 cents from July to August ^[3].

What happens to supply — and to school meals — if the die-off keeps moving toward Namibia is the unresolved question.

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5. Southeast Missouri: 8 to 12 Inches of Rain and Catastrophic Flooding

Repeated rounds of intense thunderstorms produced 8 to 12 inches of rain across parts of southeast Missouri on July 10, 2026, triggering catastrophic flooding (MSN, 2026b).

The account of the event describes the rainfall totals and the storms that developed; it does not list damage figures or casualties (MSN, 2026b).

Record-rainfall flooding is a reminder that the water totals, not the storm name, drive the outcome on the ground.

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What Scientists Are Saying

• The USGS says micro-quakes are not a predictor of larger earthquakes, and that it is unlikely seismic activity is affected by large amounts of rain — though heavy rain or drought could indirectly affect fault zones through small variations in micro-quake rates ^[1].
• The USGS could not immediately be reached for comment on the Lennox-Westmont swarm ^[1].
• On the Bethlehem sinkhole, officials determined a leaking pipe was a contributing factor, and a neighbor had flagged a drop in water pressure roughly a week earlier (WFMZ, 2026).
• South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment called the PHV detection the country’s first confirmed one linked to a recorded mass sardine die-off ^[3].

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How To Track These Events

Three agencies publish free, public, real-time monitoring that anyone can check: the USGS earthquake map for quake swarms, magnitudes and locations; NOAA for weather and space-weather watches and warnings; and the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program for worldwide eruption reports.

For regional context on fault zones like Newport-Inglewood, state geological surveys and the USGS both publish public hazard documentation.

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References

1. Los Angeles Times. (2026, September 13). Swarm of 90 micro-quakes rattles residents in Lennox, Westmont. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-12/swarm-of-90-micro-quakes-rattles-residents-in-lennox-westmont ↩a ↩b ↩c ↩d ↩e ↩f ↩g ↩h
2. MSN. (2026a, September 12). Record rainfall triggers catastrophic floods in SE Missouri. https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/general/record-rainfall-triggers-catastrophic-floods-in-se-missouri/ar-AA2c4TND ↩a ↩b ↩c
3. UA.NEWS. (2026, September 13). PHV outbreak in South Africa may affect fish supplies. https://ua.news/en/world/eksperti-poperedili-pro-naslidki-spalakhu-gerpesvirusu-pilchardiv-u-par ↩a ↩b ↩c ↩d ↩e
4. Lehighvalleylive.com. (2026, September 13). 7 months later, only 1 of 8 P’burg families has moved back into sinkhole-damaged homes. https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/phillipsburg/2026/09/7-months-later-only-1-of-8-pburg-families-has-moved-back-into-sinkhole-damaged-homes.html ↩

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