Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Hits California

Earthquake affected road, photo by National Park Service

A large earthquake struck southern California at 8:19 PM PST, at roughly the same location as the 6.4 quake struck yesterday. An area 11 miles from the city of Ridgecrest has been identified as the epicenter.

The location had been experiencing aftershock quakes throughout the day, seeing more than a thousand low-level trembles and spiking as high as 5.4 on the Richter Scale. The larger quake, however, greatly supersedes the strike which initiated the latest round of Californian quakes.

Final reports placed the quake at 7.1.

Multiple fires broke out and there was considerable property damage, but officials have yet to announce any fatalities or major injuries. Minor to moderate injuries were reported in Ridgecrest, according to Kern County fire chief David Witt.

Various Twitter posts enabled people to see the event as it occurred:

Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County to aid in their relief and recovery efforts.

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About AlienMotives 1991 Articles
Ex-Navy Reactor Operator turned bookseller. Father of an amazing girl and husband to an amazing wife. Tired of willful political blindness, but never tired of politics. Hopeful for the future.