[7][8] The epicenter region of the earthquake was located in the San Fernando Valley, about 30 km (19 mi) northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) placed the hypocenter's geographical coordinates at 34°12′47″N 118°32′13″W / 34.213°N 118.537°W / 34.213; -118.537 and at a depth of 11.31 miles (18.20 km).

The Transverse Range and Los Angeles basin hosts east–west striking thrust faults and folds that accommodate over 10 mm (0.39 in) of the compressive motion annually.

[16] A seismometer at the Cedar Hill Nursery in Tarzana observed the greatest horizontal peak ground acceleration (pga) at 1.82 g, 7 km (4.3 mi) south of the epicenter.

[18] The recording was one of the largest observed during an earthquake at the time, yet buildings in the immediate vicinity only sustained broken windows and cracked walls and driveways.

The USGS Strong Motion Instrumentation Program ruled out technical malfunction and ground amplification effects, stating that the abnormally high pga recorded by a rock-bolted seismometer was authentic.

South of the hospital, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Rinaldi Receiving Station recorded a pgv exceeding 170 cm (67 in) per second.

The earthquake also gained worldwide attention because of damage to the vast freeway network, which serves millions of commuters every day.

[33] Numerous fires were also caused by broken gas lines from houses shifting off their foundations or unsecured water heaters tumbling.

Damage to the system resulted in water pressure dropping to zero in some areas; this predictably affected success in fighting subsequent fires.

This was the first report of such an outbreak following an earthquake, and it is believed that the spores were carried in large clouds of dust created by seismically triggered landslides.

Emergency services and the Griffith Observatory received many calls from people worried about a "giant, silvery cloud" in the sky, which was identified as being the Milky Way.

As a result, the state legislature passed a law requiring all hospitals in California to ensure that their acute care units and emergency rooms would be in earthquake-resistant buildings by January 1, 2005.

[citation needed] The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Profit and Loss" was being filmed at the time, and actors Armin Shimerman and Edward Wiley left the Paramount Pictures lot in full Ferengi and Cardassian makeup, respectively.

[44] The season five episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Pie" was due to begin shooting on January 17 before stage sets were damaged.

[52] Metrolink leased equipment from Amtrak, San Francisco's Caltrain, and Toronto, Canada's GO Transit to handle the sudden onslaught of passengers.

[55] The earthquake damaged several buildings and destroyed all communications, including telephone lines, and caused computer systems to shut down.

[57] The Oviatt Library experienced both interior and exterior damage, but the overall frame of the central part of the building remained stable, allowing student use to continue.

Enrollment dropped by approximately 1,000 students, leaving some homeless as dormitories were closed due to damage that rendered them unsafe and which required repair.

In addition, the campus received a $23,000 check (equivalent to $47,000 today) from the Los Angeles Times Valley Edition for the journalism department.

[63] CSUN also received assistance from government agencies FEMA and OES to support the recovery effort and serve the needs of the local community.

[64] UCLA's Westwood campus opened their doors and allowed CSUN students to use their libraries while providing shuttle buses to and from the university.

An especially hard hit area was between Santa Monica Canyon and Saint John's Hospital, a linear corridor that suffered a significant amount of property damage.

The City of Santa Monica provided assistance to landlords dealing with repairs so tenants could return home as soon as possible.

In Valencia, the California Institute of the Arts experienced heavy damage, with classes relocated to a nearby Lockheed test facility for the remainder of 1994.

The University of Southern California suffered some structural damage to several older campus buildings, but classes were conducted as scheduled.

[67] In the weeks following the quake, many San Fernando Valley residents had either lost their homes entirely or experienced structural damage too severe to continue living in them without making repairs.

Although the vast majority of homes in the area, with the exception of a few particular neighborhoods, were relatively unaffected; many feared an aftershock to rival or exceed the severity of the first one.

Additionally, many businesses were forced to relocate or use temporary facilities in order to accommodate structural damage to their original locations or the difficulty accessing them.

[69] A substantial effort was also made to reinforce freeway bridges against seismic shaking, and a law requiring water heaters to be properly strapped was passed in 1995.