Harriet Ryan
LA TimesThu, 04 Jul 2019 10:55 UTC
An 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California Thursday, the largest temblor to hit the region in decades.
The quake was centered in the Searles Valley, a remote area of San Bernardino about 100 miles from Los Angeles.
It was unclear of the temblor caused major damage or injuries.
The quake was the largest in Southern California since the 1994 6.6 Northridge quake, which killed dozens and caused billions in damage. But Northridge hit in the center of a populated area, while Thursday's quake was located far from the metropolitan Los Angeles area.
In the Los Angeles area, the quake was slow and steady, lasting about 30 seconds.
Local emergency agencies have been flooded with calls, and officials urged that people only use 911 for emergencies.
"We are very much aware of the significant earthquake that just occurred in Southern California. Please DO NOT call 9-1-1 unless there are injuries or other dangerous conditions. Don't call for questions please," the LAPD said in a statement.
Comment: The Santa Monica Observer reports:
An earthquake at 10:33 pm PST on July 4 was felt from Santa Barbara to San Diego, and as far East as Las Vegas.
The temblor went on for over a minute. It was felt throughout the Westside of Los Angeles County as a powerful rolling motion. The quake was centered 12 KM southwest of Searles Valley California. It registered a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale makes it probably the biggest southland shock in 25 years, since the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.
Searles Valley is near Death Valley, in Eastern Southern California's Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County. The earthquake was at 8.7 KM depth.
The earthquake occurred during Santa Monica's annual 4th of July parade. Stilt walkers wondered why they suddenly felt off balance, and cars in the parade shook from side to side.
If we could offer our readers a word of advice, don't drive right now, especially on area freeways. Firefighters and Police must check the roads and bridges for potential collapse. After the Northridge quake, bridges fell down and a handful of people were injured or killed driving off of them. This earthquake seems to have had similar intensity.
See also:
M5.6 earthquake hits California - Follows seismic swarm of 400 quakes this month UPDATE 5/7/19: NBC News report from Ridgecrest
Comment: The Santa Monica Observer reports:
See also: M5.6 earthquake hits California - Follows seismic swarm of 400 quakes this month
UPDATE 5/7/19: NBC News report from Ridgecrest