A powerful magnitude 6.4 earthquake has struck Southern California.
The quake struck several hundred kilometres north of LA. Photo: USGS
The quake was centered near the city of Ridgecrest, a town with a population of more than 27,600 in the high desert, about 320 km northeast of Los Angeles, the US Geological Survey said.
It hit at 10.34am local time (6.34am NZT).
It was a shallow quake, hitting at a depth of 8.7km.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Shaking was felt throughout Los Angeles, as far north as Fresno and even in Las Vegas, Nevada, to the east.
The quake was quickly followed by several smaller aftershocks in the area, including several greater than 4.0.
The Kern County Fire Department said on Twitter it was working "nearly 2 dozen incidents ranging from medical assistance to structure fires in and around the city of Ridgecrest, CA."
My dads liquor store in Ridgecrest (11 miles from the earthquake) pic.twitter.com/4RC0mY3eha
— Zomo (@zomo_abd) July 4, 2019
#EarthquakeModeIncident; INC#0470; 10:39AM; 200 Rfs; https://t.co/kMzUc6bHdq; #Downtown; Due to a (reported) 6.6 magnitude earthquake centered in the Mojave Desert, the LAFD is now in earthquake mode;All 106 fire stations are out ... https://t.co/ZMnvF6xgJX
— LAFD (@LAFD) July 4, 2019
California is on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, and is prone to earthquakes.
The quake is the largest in Southern California since 1994 magnitude 6.6 Northridge earthquake, which was centered in a heavily populated area of Los Angeles and caused billions of dollars of damage.
Here’s a look at the helicorder from the @GriffithObserv in Southern California. #earthquake pic.twitter.com/WTEox0rcR9
— John Dissauer (@johndissauer) July 4, 2019
Been living in Los Angeles all my life. That was the longest earthquake I’ve ever experienced. Not jerky. Smooth and rolling. But it was loooong. It was so long I thought for the first time ever “Is this the big one?” Damn. Respect Mother Nature. She’s the boss.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) July 4, 2019
That was the biggest earthquake I’ve ever felt.
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) July 4, 2019
Earthquake in Oxnard CA. #abc7eyewitness pic.twitter.com/1Xnk5o1yFc
— Juniorsplaceofhope (@Juniorsplaceof1) July 4, 2019
