An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 has hit California’s Searles Valley, registering bigger than one that happened on Thursday, which was the strongest in 20 years.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the latest earthquake registered a 7.1, but KTLA reported it at 6.9.
The 7.1-magnitude earthquake originated 17 kilometres north-northeast of Ridgecrest, Calif. at about 8:15 p.m. PT.
The previous one on July 4 also happened close to Ridgecrest.
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SFU Prof. John Clague told Global News that it “seems like this earlier quake set up a different fault, and that fault ruptured at a greater scale than what ruptured earlier.”
“I know that area well and it’s just laced with active faults,” he said.
“It’s possible the displacement from a small fault jumped off to a larger fault. But we won’t know that until a day or two from now when the seismologists take a closer look at what happened.”
Chuck Contreras, owner of radio station KZFX in Ridgecrest, Calif. told CKNW that there were some fires in the city, and that it was felt as far way as Phoenix, Ariz.
“There’s more than likely road damage,” he said.
“We’re encouraging people not to get on the roads to travel, either the 395, which is the major corridor to head up through the state, or to head on the 178 to Trona, which is where they had the last earthquake.”
Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones tweeted that the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that hit on Friday morning was a “foreshock” to this one.
This one, she said, happened on the same fault, and is part of the same sequence.
She added that yet another quake — something smaller, but still significant — could follow this one.
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The earthquake happened during a newscast by CBS affiliate KCAL9.
Anchors reacted visibly when it happened.
The Los Angeles Dodgers tweeted a video that showed shaking happening at Dodger Stadium.
The San Diego Padres also tweeted a video from the game. Play did not stop.
Play was cancelled, however, in an NBA summer league game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Orlando Magic at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
No tsunami is expected to hit coastal areas including British Columbia, according to Emergency Info B.C.
The 7.1-magnitude quake was followed shortly after by a preliminary event measuring a 5.5.
Then another quake of a similar magnitude hit later.
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Twitter users posted photos of damage in Ridgecrest.
23ABC News in Bakersfield reported a rock slide in Kern River Canyon.
ABC7 reporter Leticia Juarez tweeted a series of photos that showed cracks in roads and fallen bricks along California State Route 178.
The L.A. County Fire Department tweeted that battalions reported an intensity level of 1 or less.
Shaking was felt but no damage was reported.
Over 2,000 Ridgecrest residents were left without electricity, the Los Angeles Times reported.
L.A. Fire Department (LAFD) Chief Ralf Terrazas later tweeted that his personnel were no longer in earthquake mode following a citywide survey.
They found “no injuries or significant damage.”
Meanwhile, Las Vegas Fire Rescue reported a “typical night” in Sin City, with “no unusual or significant events or activities related to the earthquake earlier.”
Scientists had warned that a bigger quake could be coming after the one that happened on Independence Day, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Ridgecrest has since been hit by numerous aftershocks.
This quake is bigger than the 6.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Southern California in 1994, which took place in an urban area. This what happened far from L.A., the Times noted.
San Bernardino County Fire tweeted that 911 calls were coming in from the area’s northwest communities.
Homes had shifted, foundations had cracked and retaining walls had come down, the fire department said.
Numerous videos circulated of water jumping out of pools amid the shaking:
- With files from John Copsey and Sean Boynton