Magnitude 4.9 Earthquake Hits Near Ridgecrest, Rattles SoCal 1 Week After Major Quake

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck near Ridgecrest and rattled Southern California early Friday morning, one week after two major quakes hit the region.

The quake hit at about 6:11 a.m. about 5 miles east-northeast of Ridgecrest, 12.4 miles east of Inyokern and 13.7 miles southwest of Searles Valley, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor had a depth of about 5.6 miles and was felt in Hollywood, downtown Los Angeles, Apple Valley and Big Bear. A magnitude 3.1 aftershock followed about two minutes later in the same region, according to USGS. Seismologist Lucy Jones reminded resident Friday morning that getting more magnitude 5.0 earthquakes in the sequence is normal. “This morning’s M4.9 is normal and it’s having its own aftershocks,” Jones said in a tweet. The Los Angeles Fire Department went into earthquake emergency mode, with fire department vehicles and helicopters patrolling the area to identify any damage or emergency needs, authorities said. No damage or injuries were reported. Friday’s earthquake is one of hundreds of magnitude 3.0 or greater quakes that have struck the region since a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook Ridgecrest and Trona on July 5 following a magnitude 6.4 temblor on July 4. The quakes resulted in outages, gas leaks, fires, rockslides and damage to roadways and buildings, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency for the small towns of Ridgecrest and Trona. Residents were still cleaning up the damage from the major quakes when Friday’s temblor struck. USGS previously said Friday’s quake hit southeast of the Ridgecrest at a magnitude 4.7, then later upgraded the location and magnitude.

Remember, we said that the relative number of large magnitude quakes is constant, and more M5s in the sequence would be normal. This morning’s M4.9 is normal and it’s having its own aftershocks https://t.co/Q1FejGJvUI

— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) July 12, 2019