Southern California braces for hundreds of aftershocks following powerful 7.1 earthquake
Southern California was bracing for hundreds of powerful aftershocks Saturday after a major earthquake rattled residents and shook buildings for a second straight day.
The latest tremor occurred in the Mojave Desert near Ridgecrest, a town of 22,000 people still reeling after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on the Fourth of July.
The 7.1 tremor, which rocked the state on Friday around 8 p.m. local time, is largest to hit the area in nearly 20 years. The earthquake was felt throughout California, including in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area and as far north as Sacramento.
“This was a very large earthquake, and we also know there’s going to be a series of aftershocks as a result of the main quake,” Office of Emergency Services director Mark Ghilarducci told reporters during a late-night news conference.
“This is not going to be something that’s going to be over right away.”
Friday’s quake was followed by a series of large and small aftershocks, including a few above magnitude 5.0.
Related: Southern California quake on July Fourth
The United States Geological Survey on Saturday said that the chance of another earthquake of a magnitude 5 or higher is greater than 99%, adding that as many as 11 such tremors could occur in the coming days. The chance of an additional magnitude 6 earthquake is about 39% while the chance for another magnitude 7 or higher is just 5%.
The agency estimated there will be “as few as 360 or as many as 660” aftershock tremors with a magnitude 3 or more in the upcoming week.
“Magnitude 3 and above are large enough to be felt near the epicenter,” the USGS tweeted. “The number of aftershocks will drop off over time, but a large aftershock can increase the numbers again temporarily.”
Several thousand people were left without power on Saturday following the quakes and a series of natural gas leaks were reported in the aftermath.
The gas lines have since been shut off, authorities said.
Ridgecrest Police Chief Jed McLaughlin said the incident sparked two building fires, one of which involved a burning mobile home. Meanwhile, medical staff at Ridgecrest Regional hospital for the second day in a row were forced to evacuate patients, some of them still attached to their IVS, CNN reported.
The tremors also left several roads split open and State Route 178 in Kern County was closed off by a rock slide.
No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported from either quake, though the full extent of the damage they’ve caused is not yet clear, Ghilarducci said. Responders had only just begun to observe the impacts Satudrday morning, he added.
The pair of earthquakes were the most powerful to strike the region since 1994, when a 6.7 magnitude tremor shook the heavily populated San Fernando Valley. It left 57 people dead and caused billions in damages.
With News Wire Services
