This archive report was first published on 6 July 2019.
On July 5, 2019, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook Southern California, leaving residents on edge just a day after a 6.4-magnitude quake hit the same area.
The United States Geological Survey reported that the latest earthquake's epicenter was 11 miles from Ridgecrest, California, near where the 6.4-magnitude quake had struck about 36 hours earlier.
Seismologists warned that further episodes were expected, and the area has been hit by a series of rolling aftershocks, including one of 5.4-magnitude that roused Californians on Friday morning.
"This is an earthquake sequence," said Lucy Jones, a seismologist. "It is clearly an energetic system."
As the earthquake struck, the Los Angeles Fire Department issued an earthquake alert from its Twitter account, advising residents to "Prepare For Aftershocks" and to "DROP, COVER, HOLD ON!" when shaking started.
Localized power outages and wires down were reported in several city neighborhoods in Los Angeles, but no major damage to infrastructure had been identified.
Residents in Ridgecrest, about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles, described the earthquake as powerful, with one hotel manager, Leena Panchal, saying that people rushed outside because they felt unsafe being indoors.
"It was so bad," she said. "I am scared. I have two children and no one is taking care of us."
Tom Heaton, an earthquake expert at the California Institute of Technology, estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at around 7, but said a final calculation would be made later. The rupture was about 10 to 15 miles long, and the duration of the earthquake was around 7 seconds.
For now, the earthquakes appear to be localized, with no plausible connection to the San Andreas fault, Dr. Heaton said. However, he cautioned that "in this business I don’t like to ever say things can never happen."
